AbstractSmall non‐coding RNA and transcription elongationMichels and Bensaude, Biotechnol. J. 2008, 3, 1022–1032A particular aspect of the small non‐coding RNAs (snRNA) that illustrates their versatile functions is highlighted by two researchers from France and Switzerland. This article focuses on the involvement of snRNA in the regulation of the cell cycle kinase (CDK) complexes, which ensure a correct and coordinated progression through the cell cycle but also have other roles in the cell, like transcription regulation. Changes in the composition of regulatory factors and CDK substrates are common in diseases linked to abnormal cell proliferation such as cancers. CDK9/Cyclin T is part of the positive transcription elongation factor (p‐TEFb) complex. The role of 7S snRNA in controlling CDK9 activity in the p‐TEFb transcription elongation factor complex has been investigated in detail and forms an interesting model for the regulation of transcription complexes and more widely also for the regulation of kinase activity. Ribosomal RNA and prionsVoisset et al., Biotechnol. J. 2008, 3, 1033–1040In addition to its role in protein synthesis, which involves a peptidyl transferase activity, the ribosome has also been described to be able to assist protein folding. In a short Review Article, Voisset and colleagues from France put a special emphasis on the various available inhibitors of this activity and in particular two antiprion drugs that were very recently shown to specifically inhibit ribosome‐borne protein folding activity (RPFA) in vitro without any significant effect on the activity of the ribosome in protein synthesis.Kong et al., Biotechnol. J. 2008, 3, 1041–1046Accumulating evidence has shown that various lengths of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences are widely present in polyadenylated RNAs. Researchers from Ohio (USA) also discuss these polyadenylated rRNA‐containing transcripts (PART). Recent work has shown that some type II PART have functional significance for some neurodegenerative disease processes and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of diseases.Non‐coding RNAs and neurodegenerationSavvateeva‐Popova et al., Biotechnol. J. 2008, 3, 1010–1021The inherent limitations of genetic analysis in humans and other mammals as well as striking conservation of most genes controlling nervous system functioning in flies and mammals made Drosophila, the fruit fly, an attractive model to investigate various aspects of brain diseases. Researchers from Russia present here an overview of studies demonstrating the role of various non‐coding RNAs in neurodegeneration and stress response in Drosophila. They put a special emphasis on the role of non‐coding micro RNAs, hsr‐omega transcripts, and artificial small highly structured RNAs as triggers of neuropathology including aggregate formation, cognitive abnormalities and other symptoms involved in stress response in Drosophila. This highlights Drosophila as an important model system to investigate various brain diseases potentially mediated by some non‐coding RNAs, including polyglutamine diseases, Alzheimer's disease, Huntigton's disease, and many others.