The lncRNA landscape of cardiac resident macrophages and identification ofSchlafenlncas a regulator of macrophage migratory function

Abstract

ABSTRACTCardiac resident macrophages (crMPs) were recently shown to exert pivotal functions in cardiac homeostasis and disease, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unclear. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly recognized as important regulatory molecules in a number of cell types, but neither the identity nor the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in crMPs are known. Here, we have employed deep RNA-seq and single cell RNA sequencing to resolve the crMP lncRNA landscape from healthy and diseased murine myocardium. CrMPs express previously unknown and highly cell type-specific lncRNAs, among which one lncRNA, termedSchlafenlnc, was particularly abundant and enriched in crMPs. We foundSchlafenlncto be necessary for migration-associated gene expression in macrophagesin vitroandin vivoand essential for their adhesion and migration. Collectively, our data provide a basis to the systematic characterization of lncRNAs in crMPs and establishSchlafenlncas a critical regulator of macrophage migratory functions.