Posttranscriptional Gene Regulation by Long Noncoding RNA

Abstract

Eukaryotic cells transcribe a vast number of noncoding RNA species. Among them, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been widely implicated in the regulation of gene transcription. However, examples of post-transcriptional gene regulation by lncRNAs are emerging. For example, through extended base-pairing, lncRNAs can stabilize or promote the translation of target mRNAs, while partial base-pairing facilitates mRNA decay or inhibits target mRNA translation. In the absence of complementarity, lncRNAs can suppress pre-mRNA splicing and translation by acting as decoys of RNA-binding proteins or microRNAs, and can compete for microRNA-mediated inhibition leading to increased expression of the mRNA. Through these regulatory mechanisms, lncRNAs can elicit differentiation, proliferation, and cytoprotective programs, underscoring the rising recognition of lncRNA roles in human disease. In this review, we summarize the mechanism of post-transcriptional gene regulation by lncRNAs.

Identification of HuR target circular RNAs uncovers suppression of PABPN1 translation by CircPABPN1

“…It was found to associate with the microRNA let-7, 6,7 although the consequences of this interaction are unclear, and with several long noncoding (lnc)RNAs, including LINCRNAP21, HOTAIR, and RMRP, influencing their stability or subcellular localization. 6,8,9 However, whether or not HuR binds to circular RNAs (circRNAs) and the functional consequences of these interactions have not been studied. Circular RNAs had been observed for several decades, but their high abundance and function have only begun to be appreciated with the advent of new sequencing and molecular biology techniques.…”

Profiling of m6A RNA modifications identified an age‐associated regulation of AGO2 mRNA stability

“…The dynamic expression of mRNAs is mainly governed by transcription and decay via their interactions with trans‐regulatory factors (e.g., RNA‐binding proteins and noncoding RNAs) and cis‐regulatory elements (specific sequences on mRNAs for RNA‐binding protein interaction, miRNA targeting, RNA modification, etc.) (Grosswendt et al., 2014; Wang & He, 2014; Yoon, Abdelmohsen & Gorospe, 2013; Yoon et al., 2014). …”

Upregulated GAPLINC predicts a poor prognosis in bladder cancer patients and promotes tumor proliferation and invasion

“…An increasing amount of evidence has demonstrated that lncRNAs exhibit crucial regulatory roles in the biological processes of cancer, including genomic imprinting, chromatin modification and post-transcriptional processing (7)(8)(9)(10). Increasingly, studies have indicated that lncRNAs may be used as potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets (11,12).…”