Non-coding RNAs are important regulators of differentiation during embryogenesis as well as key players in the fine-tuning of transcription and furthermore, they control the post-transcriptional regulation of mRNAs under physiological conditions. Deregulated expression of non-coding RNAs is often identified as one major contribution in a number of pathological conditions. Non-coding RNAs are a heterogenous group of RNAs and they represent the majority of nuclear transcripts in eukaryotes. An evolutionary highly conserved sub-group of non-coding RNAs is represented by vault RNAs, named since firstly discovered as component of the largest known ribonucleoprotein complexes called “vault”. Although they have been initially described 30 years ago, vault RNAs are largely unknown and their molecular role is still under investigation. In this review we will summarize the known functions of vault RNAs and their involvement in cellular mechanisms.

非编码RNA是胚胎发生过程中分化的重要调节因子，也是转录微调的关键参与者，此外，它们在生理条件下控制mRNA的转录后调节。非编码 RNA 的表达失调通常被认为是许多病理状况的一个主要贡献因素。非编码 RNA 是一组异源 RNA，它们代表真核生物中的大部分核转录本。一个进化上高度保守的非编码 RNA 亚群以穹窿 RNA 为代表，该 RNA 因其首次被发现是已知最大的核糖核蛋白复合物（称为“穹窿”）的组成部分而得名。尽管 30 年前就已首次描述了Vault RNA，但人们对它们知之甚少，其分子作用仍在研究中。在这篇综述中，我们将总结 Vault RNA 的已知功能及其在细胞机制中的参与。