ABSTRACT

A major part of the eukaryotic genome is transcribed into non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) having no protein coding potential. ncRNAs which are longer than 200 nucleotides are categorized as long non coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Most lncRNAs are induced as a consequence of various environmental and developmental cues. Among plants, the functions of lncRNAs are best studied in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this review, we highlight the important functional roles of various lncRNAs during different stages of Arabidopsis life cycle and their response to environmental changes. These lncRNAs primarily govern processes such as flowering, seed germination, stress response, light- and auxin-regulated development, and RNA-dependent DNA methylation (RdDM). Major challenge is to differentiate between functional and cryptic transcripts. Genome editing, large scale RNAi and computational approaches may help to identify and characterize novel functional lncRNAs in Arabidopsis.

摘要

真核生物基因组的主要部分被转录成没有蛋白质编码潜力的非编码 RNA (ncRNA)。长度超过 200 个核苷酸的 ncRNA 被归类为长非编码 RNA (lncRNA)。大多数 lncRNA 是由各种环境和发育线索诱导的。在植物中，lncRNA 的功能在拟南芥中得到了最好的研究。在这篇综述中，我们强调了各种 lncRNA 在拟南芥不同阶段的重要功能作用生命周期及其对环境变化的反应。这些 lncRNA 主要控制诸如开花、种子萌发、应激反应、光和生长素调节的发育以及 RNA 依赖性 DNA 甲基化 (RdDM) 等过程。主要挑战是区分功能性转录本和神秘转录本。基因组编辑、大规模 RNAi 和计算方法可能有助于识别和表征拟南芥中新的功能性 lncRNA 。