Essential lncRNAs in the human transcriptome

However, the functional roles of most long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) remain elusive. Using RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas13 screens, we probed how loss of ~5,500 lncRNAs impacts cell fitness across five human cell lines and identified 788 lncRNAs with context-specific or broad essentiality.

We confirm their essentiality with individual perturbations and find that the majority of essential lncRNAs operate independently of their nearest protein-coding genes. Using transcriptome profiling in single cells, we discover that loss of essential lncRNAs impair cell cycle progression and drive apoptosis. Many essential lncRNAs demonstrate dynamic expression across tissues during development.