Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32894169›Full record

ArticleGenome biology2020

The Tug1 lncRNA locus is essential for male fertility.

Jordan P Lewandowski, Gabrijela Dumbović, Audrey R Watson, Taeyoung Hwang, Emily Jacobs-Palmer, Nydia Chang, Christian Much, Kyle M Turner, Christopher Kirby, Nimrod D Rubinstein and 9 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Genome biology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
65citing papers in PubMed
6.0field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

65 citing papers in PubMed, 111 citations in OpenAlex.

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  14. Deciphering the role ofWorld journal of hepatology · 2025
    Review
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. lncRNAInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article

5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Jordan P LewandowskiDepartment of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
Gabrijela DumbovićBioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA.
Audrey R WatsonBioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA.
Taeyoung HwangBioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA.
Emily Jacobs-PalmerDepartment of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, 4109 BioLabs, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
Nydia ChangDepartment of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
Christian MuchBioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA.
Kyle M TurnerDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
Christopher KirbyDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
Nimrod D RubinsteinDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
Abigail F GroffDepartment of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
Steve C LiapisDepartment of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
Chiara GerhardingerDepartment of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
Assaf BesterCancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Department of Medicine and Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
Pier Paolo PandolfiCancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Department of Medicine and Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
John G ClohessyCancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center, Department of Medicine and Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
Hopi E HoekstraDepartment of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, 4109 BioLabs, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA. hoekstra@oeb.harvard.edu.
Martin SauvageauMontreal Clinical Research Institute, Montreal, QC, H2W 1R7, Canada. martin.sauvageau@ircm.qc.ca.
John L RinnDepartment of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA. john.rinn@colorado.edu.
Harvard University · USUniversity of Colorado Boulder · USBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center · USCenter for Systems Biology · USDana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center · USMontreal Clinical Research Institute · CA

Funding

Regulatory Roles and Dynamics of Nuclear long-noncoding RNAs in PluripotencyP01GM099117 · NIGMS · HARVARD UNIVERSITY · PI MEISSNER, ALEXANDER · 2011 to 2021
$21.2M
The Long Noncoding RNA Firre in Neural Development and DiseaseF32GM122335 · NIGMS · HARVARD UNIVERSITY · PI LEWANDOWSKI, JORDAN · 2017 to 2017
$57k
Blavatnik Accelerator Program P01GM099117Howard Hughes Medical InstituteNIGMS NIH HHS F32 GM122335NIGMS NIH HHS P01 GM099117
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSeveral long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to function as components of molecular machines that play fundamental roles in biology. While the number of annotated lncRNAs in mammalian genomes has greatly expanded, studying lncRNA function has been a challenge due to their diverse biological roles and because lncRNA loci can contain multiple molecular modes that may exert function.

resultsWe previously generated and characterized a cohort of 20 lncRNA loci knockout mice. Here, we extend this initial study and provide a more detailed analysis of the highly conserved lncRNA locus, taurine-upregulated gene 1 (Tug1). We report that Tug1-knockout male mice are sterile with underlying defects including a low number of sperm and abnormal sperm morphology. Because lncRNA loci can contain multiple modes of action, we wanted to determine which, if any, potential elements contained in the Tug1 genomic region have any activity. Using engineered mouse models and cell-based assays, we provide evidence that the Tug1 locus harbors two distinct noncoding regulatory activities, as a cis-DNA repressor that regulates neighboring genes and as a lncRNA that can regulate genes by a trans-based function. We also show that Tug1 contains an evolutionary conserved open reading frame that when overexpressed produces a stable protein which impacts mitochondrial membrane potential, suggesting a potential third coding function.

conclusionsOur results reveal an essential role for the Tug1 locus in male fertility and uncover evidence for distinct molecular modes in the Tug1 locus, thus highlighting the complexity present at lncRNA loci.

Indexed as

AnimalsFertilityGene Expression RegulationHumansMaleMiceMice, KnockoutOpen Reading FramesRNA, Long NoncodingSpermatogenesisRNA, Long NoncodingTUG1 noncoding RNA, mouseAllele-specificCis-regulatory elementsDNA repressorFertilityGeneticsGenomicslncRNAMouseRNA-seqTug1

Identifiers

PMID32894169
PMCPMC7487648
OpenAlexW3084058862

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.