Uncovering essential RNA components of fusion oncoprotein condensates using bicon-seq.

Bicon-seq identifies Gas5 as a highly conserved, essential lncRNA associated with NUP98::KDM5A onco-condensates in AML cells.

• Why it matters: Understanding the RNA components of fusion onco-condensates is crucial because these structures influence gene expression in aggressive leukemias, yet their RNA constituents are poorly characterized.
• What they did: The study used bicon-seq to globally profile condensate-associated RNAs from cellular samples, demonstrating its accuracy through perturbation experiments and identifying conserved lncRNAs linked to NUP98::KDM5A in leukemia cells.
• The result: Gas5 was found to be highly expressed, co-localized with NUP98::KDM5A, and essential for AML cell proliferation, modulating chromatin binding and gene expression, thus highlighting its role as a key regulator in leukemia.