Transcriptomic profiling of human CD34⁺/CD45RA-/CD90+ HSCs folowing lncRNA CRISPR/Cas9 editing and cytosine base editing [bulk_RNAseq]

While studying blood phenotype-associated variation within the HOXA locus, we identified a genetic variant, rs17437411, associated with globally reduced blood counts, protection from blood cancers, and variation in anthropometric phenotypes. We find that this variant disrupts the activity of a previously unstudied antisense long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) located between HOXA7 and HOXA9, which we have named HOTSCRAMBL.

The HOTSCRAMBL variant disrupts lncRNA function and reduces human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal. Mechanistically, HOTSCRAMBL enables appropriate expression and splicing of HOXA genes in HSCs, most notably HOXA9, in an SRSF2-dependent manner. Given the critical role of HOXA gene expression in some blood cancers, we also demonstrate that HOTSCRAMBL variation or deletion compromises HOXA-dependent acute myeloid leukemias.