The ins and outs of lncRNA structure: How, why and what comes next?

Amanda J. Blythe, Archa H. Fox, Charles S. Bond

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

77 Citations (Scopus)
624 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. The field of structural biology has the unique advantage of being able to provide a comprehensive picture of biological mechanisms at the molecular and atomic level. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent the new frontier in the molecular biology of complex organisms yet remain the least characterised of all the classes of RNA. Thousands of new lncRNAs are being reported each year yet very little structural data exists for this rapidly expanding field. The length of lncRNAs ranges from 200. nt to over 100. kb in length and they generally exhibit low cellular abundance. Therefore, obtaining sufficient quantities of lncRNA to use for structural analysis is challenging. However, as technologies develop structures of lncRNAs are starting to emerge providing important information regarding their mechanism of action. Here we review the current methods used to determine the structure of lncRNA and lncRNA:protein complexes and describe the significant contribution structural biology has and will make to the field of lncRNA research. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Clues to long noncoding RNA taxonomy1, edited by Dr. Tetsuro Hirose and Dr. Shinichi Nakagawa.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)46-58
Number of pages13
JournalBiochimica et Biophysica Acta - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms
Volume1859
Issue number1
Early online date29 Aug 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2016

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The ins and outs of lncRNA structure: How, why and what comes next?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this