Silencing long noncoding RNAs with genome-editing tools.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a functional and structural diverse class of cellular transcripts that comprise the largest fraction of the human transcriptome. However, detailed functional analysis lags behind their rapid discovery. This might be partially due to the lack of loss-of-function approaches that efficiently reduce the expression of these transcripts. Here, I describe a method that allows a specific and efficient targeting of the highly abundant lncRNA MALAT1 in human (lung) cancer cells. The method relies on the site-specific integration of RNA-destabilizing elements mediated by Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFNs).