ZMYND8 suppresses MAPT213 LncRNA transcription to promote neuronal differentiation

Zinc Finger transcription factors are crucial in modulating various cellular processes, including differentiation. Chromatin reader Zinc Finger MYND (Myeloid, Nervy, and DEAF-1) type containing 8 (ZMYND8), an All-Trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA)-responsive gene, was previously shown to play a crucial role in promoting the expression of neuronal-lineage committed genes. Here, we report that ZMYND8 promotes neuronal differentiation by positively regulating canonical MAPT protein-coding gene isoform, a key player in the axonal development of neurons. Additionally, ZMYND8 modulates gene-isoform switching by epigenetically silencing key regulatory regions within the MAPT gene, thereby suppressing the expression of non-protein-coding isoforms such as MAPT213. Genetic deletion of ZMYND8 led to an increase in the MAPT213 that potentially suppressed the parental MAPT protein-coding transcript expression related to neuronal differentiation programs. In addition, ectopic expression of MAPT213 led to repression of MAPT protein-coding transcript. Similarly, ZMYND8-driven transcription regulation was also observed in other neuronal differentiation-promoting genes. Collectively our results elucidate a novel mechanism of ZMYND8-dependent transcription regulation of different neuronal lineage committing genes, including MAPT, to promote neural differentiation.