The Noncoding RNA Mistral Activates Hoxa6 and Hoxa7 Expression and Stem Cell Differentiation by Recruiting MLL1 to Chromatin

The epigenetic activator Mixed lineage leukemia 1 (MLL1) is paramount for embryonic development and hematopoiesis. Here, we demonstrate that the long, noncoding RNA (IncRNA) Mistral (Mira) activates transcription of the homeotic genes Hoxa6 and Hoxa7 in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC) by recruiting MLL1 to chromatin. The Mira gene is located in the spacer DNA region (SDR) separating Hoxa6 and Hoxa7, transcriptionally silent in mESCs, and activated by retinoic acid. Mira-mediated recruitment of MLL1 to the Mira gene triggers dynamic changes in chromosome conformation, culminating in activation of Hoxa6 and Hoxa7 transcription. Hoxa6 and Hoxa7 activate the expression of genes involved in germ layer specification during mESC differentiation in a cooperative and redundant fashion. Our results connect the IncRNA Mira with the recruitment of MLL1 to target genes and implicate IncRNAs in epigenetic activation of gene expression during vertebrate cell-fate determination.