Long non-coding RNAs and their functions in plants

• Published in: Current opinion in plant biology 2015-10, Vol.27, p.207-216
• Main Author: Chekanova, Julia A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - growth & development; Arabidopsis thaliana; chromatin; DNA Methylation; flowering; Flowers - genetics; Flowers - growth & development; gene expression; mechanism of action; non-coding RNA; regulator genes; RNA, Long Noncoding - genetics; RNA, Plant - genetics
• ISSN: 1369-5266; 1879-0356
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2015.08.003

•Plant lncRNAs participate in regulation of transcription, splicing, and nuclear structure.•In flowering, multiple lncRNAs act in silencing of FLC via diverse mechanisms.•Plant lncRNAs function in RNA-directed DNA methylation and epigenetic functions.•The RNA-processing machinery probably plays a key role in the regulation of lncRNAs. Eukaryotic genomes encode thousands of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which play important roles in essential biological processes. Although lncRNAs function in the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments, most of them occur in the nucleus, often in association with chromatin. Indeed, many lncRNAs have emerged as key regulators of gene expression and genome stability. Emerging evidence also suggests that lncRNAs may contribute to the organization of nuclear domains. This review briefly summarizes the major types of eukaryotic lncRNAs and provides examples of their mechanisms of action, with focus on plant lncRNAs, mainly in Arabidopsis thaliana, and describes current advances in our understanding of the mechanisms of lncRNA action and the roles of lncRNAs in RNA-dependent DNA methylation and in the regulation of flowering time.