LncRNA‐OG Promotes the Osteogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Under the Regulation of hnRNPK

Bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM‐MSCs) are the main source of osteoblasts in vivo and are widely used in stem cell therapy. Previously, we analyzed long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) expression profiles during BM‐MSC osteogenesis, and further investigation is needed to elucidate how lncRNAs regulate BM‐MSC osteogenesis. Herein, we used customized microarrays to determine lncRNA expression profiles in BM‐MSCs on days 0 and 10 of osteogenic differentiation. In addition, we identified a novel osteogenesis‐associated lncRNA (lncRNA‐OG) that is upregulated during this process. Functional assays showed that lncRNA‐OG significantly promotes BM‐MSC osteogenesis. Mechanistically, lncRNA‐OG interacts with heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNPK) protein to regulate bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway activation. Surprisingly, hnRNPK positively regulates lncRNA‐OG transcriptional activity by promoting H3K27 acetylation of the lncRNA‐OG promoter. Therefore, our study revealed a novel lncRNA with a positive function on BM‐MSC osteogenic differentiation and proposed a new interaction between hnRNPK and lncRNA. stem cells 2018 Stem Cells 2019;37:270–283