Hubrecht Institute-KNAW and University Medical Centre Utrecht, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands.
J Cell Sci. 2010 Jun 1;123(Pt 11):1825-39. doi: 10.1242/jcs.061713.
Small non-coding RNAs make up much of the RNA content of a cell and have the potential to regulate gene expression on many different levels. Initial discoveries in the 1990s and early 21st century focused on determining mechanisms of post-transcriptional regulation mediated by small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs). More recent research, however, has identified new classes of RNAs and new regulatory mechanisms, expanding the known regulatory potential of small non-coding RNAs to encompass chromatin regulation. In this Commentary, we provide an overview of these chromatin-related mechanisms and speculate on the extent to which they are conserved among eukaryotes.
小非编码 RNA 构成了细胞内 RNA 内容的很大一部分，并且有可能在多个不同水平上调节基因表达。20 世纪 90 年代和 21 世纪初的最初发现集中于确定由小干扰 RNA（siRNA）和 microRNA（miRNA）介导的转录后调控机制。然而，最近的研究已经确定了新的 RNA 类别和新的调控机制，从而将小非编码 RNA 的已知调控潜力扩展到包含染色质调控。在本评论中，我们概述了这些与染色质相关的机制，并推测它们在真核生物中的保守程度。
