Long noncoding RNAs

RNA is transcribed from most of the genome, yet only a small fraction of this RNA encodes proteins. More long noncoding RNAs have been annotated in the human genome than protein-coding genes, and these numbers continue to increase as long noncoding RNA species are mapped in more cell types. We are focused on understanding how long noncoding RNAs regulate the fibrotic activity of hepatic stellate cells, the primary cell type responsible for production of the fibrotic scar in chronic liver disease. More recently we have developed new computational tools to broaden the maps of lncRNAs from human single-cell RNA sequencing data, with a particular focus on defining lncRNAs in the liver and those that that change with liver disease.