Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a new class of regulatory RNAs that play important roles in disease development and a variety of biological processes. Recent studies have underscored the importance of lncRNAs in the circadian clock system and demonstrated that lncRNAs regulate core clock genes and the core clock machinery in mammals. In this review, we provide an overview of our current understanding of how lncRNAs regulate the circadian clock without coding a protein. We also offer additional insights into the challenges in understanding the functions of lncRNAs and other unresolved questions in the field. We do not cover other regulatory ncRNAs even though they also play important roles; readers are highly encouraged to refer to other excellent reviews on this topic.

长链非编码 RNA (lncRNA) 是一类新的调控 RNA，在疾病发展和多种生物过程中发挥着重要作用。最近的研究强调了 lncRNA 在生物钟系统中的重要性，并证明 lncRNA 调节哺乳动物的核心时钟基因和核心时钟机制。在这篇综述中，我们概述了我们目前对 lncRNA 如何在不编码蛋白质的情况下调节生物钟的理解。我们还提供了对理解 lncRNA 功能的挑战和该领域其他未解决问题的更多见解。我们不涵盖其他监管 ncRNA，尽管它们也发挥着重要作用；强烈建议读者参考有关该主题的其他优秀评论。