Abstract
High-throughput sequencing has revealed that the majority of RNAs have no capacity to encode protein. Among these non-coding transcripts, recent work has focused on the roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) of >200 nucleotides. Although many of their attributes, such as patterns of expression, remain largely unknown, lncRNAs have key functions in transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and epigenetic gene regulation; Also, new work indicates their functions in scaffolding ribonuclear protein complexes. In plants, genome-wide identification of lncRNAs has been conducted in several species, including Zea mays, and recent research showed that lncRNAs regulate flowering time in the photoperiod pathway, and function in nodulation. In this review, we discuss the basic mechanisms by which lncRNAs regulate key cellular processes, using the large body of knowledge on animal and yeast lncRNAs to illustrate the significance of emerging work on lncRNAs in plants.
Highlights
Introduction to LncRNAsEukaryotic genomes produce transcripts in a wide range of sizes, from long protein-coding mRNAs to short noncoding transcripts; In humans, about 2% of transcripts have the capacity to encode protein, with the remainder considered to be noncoding RNAs [1]
Most work on regulatory ncRNAs has focused on short ncRNAs, recent work has revealed the importance of long ncRNAs, defined as ncRNAs of more than 200 nt in length
Only a few long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) have been characterized to date, these studies revealed that ncRNAs can regulate gene expression at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and epigenetic levels [3]
Summary
Eukaryotic genomes produce transcripts in a wide range of sizes, from long protein-coding mRNAs to short noncoding transcripts; In humans, about 2% of transcripts have the capacity to encode protein, with the remainder considered to be noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) [1]. Most work on regulatory ncRNAs has focused on short ncRNAs, recent work has revealed the importance of long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), defined as ncRNAs of more than 200 nt in length. Research in animal systems showed that lncRNAs participate in many significant biological processes, such as X chromosome inactivation and genomic imprinting [1]. In contrast to work in animals, research on plants lncRNAs has lagged. The limited work has revealed that lncRNAs have significant roles in plants. We describe the basic modes of action, regulatory mechanisms, and functions of lncRNAs in animals and use these descriptions to illuminate and offer new perspectives on the potential roles and key functions of lncRNAs in plants
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