Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Key Laboratory of Metabolism and Molecular Medicine of Ministry of Education & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Sci China Life Sci. 2016 Mar;59(3):236-44. doi: 10.1007/s11427-016-5012-y. Epub 2016 Jan 29.
In the eukaryotic cell nucleus, chromatin and its associated macromolecules must be organized into a higher-ordered conformation to function normally. However, mechanisms underlying the organization and dynamics of the nucleus remain unclear. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), i.e., transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides with little or no protein-coding capacity, are increasingly recognized as important regulators in diverse biological processes. Recent studies have shown that some lncRNAs are involved in various aspects of genome organization, including the facilitation of chromosomal interactions and establishment of nuclear bodies, suggesting that lncRNAs act as general organizers of the nuclear architecture. Here, we discuss recent advances in this emerging and intriguing field.
在真核细胞核中，染色质及其相关的大分子必须组织成更高阶的构象才能正常发挥功能。然而，细胞核的组织和动力学的机制仍不清楚。长非编码 RNA（lncRNA），即长度超过 200 个核苷酸且几乎没有或没有蛋白质编码能力的转录本，越来越被认为是多种生物过程中的重要调节剂。最近的研究表明，一些 lncRNA 参与基因组组织的各个方面，包括促进染色体相互作用和核体的建立，这表明 lncRNA 作为核架构的通用组织者发挥作用。在这里，我们讨论了这一新兴而有趣的领域的最新进展。
