Conservation and tissue-specific transcription patterns of long noncoding RNAs

Abstract

Over the past decade, the focus of molecular biology has shifted from being predominately DNA and protein-centric to having a greater appreciation of RNA. It is now accepted that the genome is pervasively transcribed in tissue- and cell-specific manner, to produce not only protein-coding RNAs, but also an array of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). Many of these ncRNAs have been found to interact with DNA, protein and other RNA molecules where they exert regulatory functions. Long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) are a subclass of ncRNAs that are particularly interesting due to their cell-specific and species-specific expression patterns and unique conservation patterns. Currently, individual lncRNAs have been classified functionally; however, for the vast majority the functional relevance is unknown. To better categorize lncRNAs, an understanding of their specific expression patterns and evolutionary constraints are needed.

A long-non-coding RNA, LINC00473, confers the human adipose tissue thermogenic phenotype through enhanced cAMP responsiveness

“…Interestingly, LINC00473 is a primate-specific transcript with no readily identifiable orthologues in other species. This observation is consistent with the reports on a rapid evolution occurring in noncoding sequences with a nucleotide substitution of 90%, compared to a substitution rate of ~10% in protein-coding sequences (Ward et al, 2015). However, RNAs can maintain a conserved secondary structure (Torarinsson et al, 2006), and therefore a functional orthologue of LINC00473 may exist in mice.…”

Long non-coding RNAs defining major subtypes of B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia

“…It has become apparent that lncRNAs are frequently spliced and polyadenylated and are mainly transcribed by RNA polymerase II (13). LncRNAs expression has been reported as highly tissuespecific even though the expression abundance is generally lower compared to proteincoding genes (14). The expression specificity has been extended to a wide variety of physiological and pathological mechanisms like cancer development and Pluripotency (15).…”

XRN1‐associated long non‐coding RNAs may contribute to fungal virulence and sexual development in entomopathogenic fungus Cordyceps militaris

“…Recent studies also profiled lncRNA metabolism relative to mRNAs, demonstrating that lncRNAs differ in their half‐lives, posttranscriptional modifications, subcellular localization patterns, and sequence conservation . Notably, while the promoters for lncRNAs show high sequence conservation, the gene products show less conservation, although the presence of lncRNA orthologs across species has been documented . Despite this trend, lncRNAs have been shown to hold important regulatory functions in eukaryotes.…”

“…10,11 Notably, while the promoters for lncRNAs show high sequence conservation, the gene products show less conservation, although the presence of lncRNA orthologs across species has been documented. 12 Despite this trend, lncRNAs have been shown to hold important regulatory functions in eukaryotes.…”