Next-generation sequencing has provided a more complete picture of the composition of the human transcriptome indicating that much of the "blueprint" is a vastness of poorly understood non-protein-coding transcripts. This includes a newly identified class of genes called long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). The lack of sequence conservation for lncRNAs across species meant that their biological importance was initially met with some skepticism. LncRNAs mediate their functions through interactions with proteins, RNA, DNA, or a combination of these. Their functions can often be dictated by their localization, sequence, and/or secondary structure. Here we provide a review of the approaches typically adopted to study the complexity of these genes with an emphasis on recent discoveries within the innate immune field. Finally, we discuss the challenges, as well as the emergence of new technologies that will continue to move this field forward and provide greater insight into the biological importance of this class of genes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: ncRNA in control of gene expression edited by Kotb Abdelmohsen.

中文翻译：

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lncRNA 发挥作用的方式和原因：先天免疫视角。

下一代测序提供了人类转录组组成的更完整图片，表明大部分“蓝图”是大量人们知之甚少的非蛋白质编码转录本。其中包括一类新发现的基因，称为长非编码 RNA (lncRNA)。跨物种的 lncRNA 缺乏序列保守性，这意味着它们的生物学重要性最初受到了一些怀疑。LncRNA 通过与蛋白质、RNA、DNA 或它们的组合相互作用来介导其功能。它们的功能通常由它们的定位、序列和/或二级结构决定。在这里，我们回顾了通常用于研究这些基因复杂性的方法，重点是先天免疫领域的最新发现。最后，我们讨论了挑战以及新技术的出现，这些新技术将继续推动这一领域向前发展，并为此类基因的生物学重要性提供更深入的见解。本文是 Kotb Abdelmohsen 编辑的题为：控制基因表达的 ncRNA 特刊的一部分。