Long non-coding RNA lnc_3712 impedes nuclear reprogramming via repressing Kdm5b.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in shaping chromosome conformation and regulation of preimplantation development. However, the role of lncRNA during somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) reprogramming remains largely unknown. In the present study, we identified 114 upregulated lncRNAs in the 8-cell SCNT embryos as candidate key molecules involved in nuclear reprogramming in goat. We found that H3K4me3 was an epigenetic barrier in goat nuclear reprogramming that and injection of mRNA greatly improved SCNT embryos development through removal of H3K4me3. We further reported that knockdown of lnc_3712 increased the expression of Kdm5b, which led to H3K4me3 demethylation. Of note, the development of goat SCNT embryos was improved when lnc_3712 was knocked down, whereas the blastocyst rate showed no difference in lnc_3712 and Kdm5b double knockdown SCNT embryos compared with the negative control SCNT embryos. Specifically, in lnc_3712 knockdown SCNT embryos, partial of the transcriptional activity and the expression of critical embryonic genes (, , and ) were similar with that of fertilization embryos. Therefore, our results elucidate the critical role of lnc_3712 in regulating the development of goat SCNT embryos via repressing Kdm5b, which advances our current understanding of the role of lncRNAs during nuclear reprogramming.