The Diversity of Long Noncoding RNAs and Their Generation

Huang Wu; Li Yang; Ling-Ling Chen

doi:10.1016/j.tig.2017.05.004

The Diversity of Long Noncoding RNAs and Their Generation

Trends Genet. 2017 Aug;33(8):540-552. doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.05.004. Epub 2017 Jun 16.

Authors

Huang Wu¹, Li Yang², Ling-Ling Chen³

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China.
² Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China; School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 100 Haike Road, Shanghai 201210, China. Electronic address: liyang@picb.ac.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China; School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 100 Haike Road, Shanghai 201210, China. Electronic address: linglingchen@sibcb.ac.cn.

PMID: 28629949
DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.05.004

Abstract

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as potential key regulators in gene expression networks and exhibit a surprising range of shapes and sizes. Several distinct classes of lncRNAs are transcribed from different DNA elements, including promoters, enhancers, and intergenic regions in eukaryotic genomes. Additionally, others are derived from long primary transcripts with noncanonical RNA processing pathways, generating new RNA species with unexpected formats. These lncRNAs can be processed by several mechanisms, including ribonuclease P (RNase P) cleavage to generate mature 3' ends, capping by small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA)-protein (snoRNP) complexes at their ends, or the formation of circular structures. Here we review current knowledge on lncRNAs and highlight the most recent discoveries of the underlying mechanisms related to their formation.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

RNA, Long Noncoding / genetics*
RNA, Messenger / genetics
Transcription, Genetic

Substances

RNA, Long Noncoding
RNA, Messenger