The long noncoding RNA Peanut (Gm11454) biases progenitors towards neurogenesis and rod photoreceptor differentiation during postnatal retinal development.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) display pervasive expression and function in the developing nervous system. Temporal profiling of gene expression in the retina has demonstrated differential expression of lncRNAs throughout development; however, determinations of lncRNA function during retinal development remain limited. In this study, we identify numerous lncRNAs with dynamic temporal expression and characterize the function of the lncRNA Gm11454, which we have named Peanut. Overexpression of Peanut in mice retinas increases rod photoreceptor fate and neurogenesis of retinal progenitor cells (RPCs), inhibits Notch signaling, and inhibits expression of neighboring gene Tox2. A novel Peanut knockout mouse model demonstrates that Peanut is involved in the establishment of proper visual function and photoreceptor gene expression. Finally, we determined that Peanut modulates cell cycle progression and neurogenesis. Our results characterize the consequence of altered expression of a novel lncRNA as a putative regulator of RPC neurogenesis and differentiation and support the significance of lncRNAs in the developing retina.