Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts without protein-coding potential but having a pivotal role in numerous biological functions. Long non-coding RNAs act as regulators at different levels of gene expression including chromatin organization, transcriptional regulation, and post-transcriptional control. Misregulation of lncRNAs expression has been found to be associated to cancer and other human disorders. Here, we review the different types of lncRNAs, their mechanisms of action on genome formatting and expression and emphasized on the multifaceted action of the H19 lncRNA.
Highlights
Long non-coding RNAs are transcripts without protein-coding potential but having a pivotal role in numerous biological functions
Some of the Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) such as XIST, MALAT1, or NEAT1 are almost exclusively localized in the nucleus (Brown et al, 1992; Hutchinson et al, 2007), whereas others are mostly found in the cytoplasm (Coccia et al, 1992; Yoon et al, 2012)
LncRNAs are involved in numerous physiological functions and in many cases lncRNA alterations are associated with human disorders
Summary
Received: 28 February 2015 Paper pending published: 16 March 2015 Accepted: 12 April 2015 Published: 29 April 2015. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts without protein-coding potential but having a pivotal role in numerous biological functions. Long non-coding RNAs act as regulators at different levels of gene expression including chromatin organization, transcriptional regulation, and post-transcriptional control. It is believed that lncRNAs are involved in a diversity of cellular functions through gene expression regulation at different levels including chromatin organization, transcriptional regulation, and post-transcriptional mRNA processing (Mercer et al, 2009; Wilusz et al, 2009). To complicate matters further, Anderson et al (2015) recently described that a conserved micropeptide is encoded by a skeletal muscle-specific RNA previously annotated as a putative long non-coding RNA This finding leads to the proposal that several lncRNAs could have a biological function through the production of micropeptides
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