Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are rapidly emerging as important regulators of a diverse array of cellular functions. Here, we describe a meta-analysis of two independent RNA-seq studies to identify lncRNAs that are differentially expressed upon HIV-1 infection. Only three lncRNA genes exhibited altered expression of ≥ 2-fold in HIV-1-infected cells. Of these, the uncharacterized lncRNA LINC00173 was chosen for further study. Both transcript variants of LINC00173 (lnc173 TSV1 and 2) could be detected by qPCR, localized predominantly to the nucleus and were reproducibly up-regulated during infection. Knock-out of the LINC00173 locus did not have detectable effects on HIV-1 replication. Interestingly, however, stimulation of Jurkat T cells with PMA/ionomycin resulted in a decrease of lnc173 expression, and Jurkat cells deficient for lnc173 on average expressed higher levels of specific cytokines than control cells. These data suggest that lnc173 may have a role in the regulation of cytokines in T cells.

长的非编码RNA（IncRNA）迅速成为各种细胞功能的重要调节剂。在这里，我们描述了两项独立的RNA-seq研究的荟萃分析，以鉴定在HIV-1感染后差异表达的lncRNA。在HIV-1感染的细胞中，只有3个lncRNA基因表现出≥2倍的表达变化。其中，未鉴定的lncRNA LINC00173被选择用于进一步研究。可以通过qPCR检测到LINC00173的两个转录物变体（lnc173 TSV1和2），主要位于细胞核，并且在感染过程中可复制地上调。敲除LINC00173场所对HIV-1复制没有可检测的影响。然而，有趣的是，用PMA /离子霉素刺激Jurkat T细胞导致lnc173表达降低，并且缺失lnc173的Jurkat细胞平均表达比对照细胞更高的特异性细胞因子。这些数据表明lnc173可能在T细胞中细胞因子的调节中起作用。