Studies on long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) suggest an important role in development and cancer, however, functional lincRNAs in adult stem cells have been rarely defined. This project will study the role of lincRNAs in development of intestinal stem cell (ISC) one of the well identified adult stem cells. For this purpose, I will identify lincRNAs that are specifically expressed in ISCs by analyzing transcriptome of sorted ISCs. LincRNAs expected to regulate ISC development will be selected. I will investigate the mechanisms of action of the lincRNAs using in vitro cultured mini-gut. Lastly, I will elucidate the physiological function of the lincRNAs by generating knock-out mouse models.It has become evident that lincRNAs regulate multiple cellular functions including pluripotency, differentiation, and cell cycle. This project will, therefore, broaden our knowledge on adult stem cell biology revealing how lincRNAs play a role in self-renewal and differentiation of ISCs. At the same time, this project will extend our understanding of lincRNA biology by providing a comprehensive functional study in a physiologically relevant system. Furthermore, given that ISCs are highly linked with cancer stem cells, the defined lincRNAs might be used as diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets in cancer.