Bunch Heeyoun
School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Agriculture & Life Sciences Building 1, Room 207, 80 Dae-Hak Ro, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Mol Genet Genomics. 2018 Feb;293(1):1-15. doi: 10.1007/s00438-017-1370-9. Epub 2017 Sep 11.
RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcribes two classes of RNAs, protein-coding and non-protein-coding (ncRNA) genes. ncRNAs are also synthesized by RNA polymerases I and III (Pol I and III). In humans, the number of ncRNA genes exceeds more than twice that of protein-coding genes. However, the history of studying Pol II-synthesized ncRNA is relatively short. Since early 2000s, important biological and pathological functions of these ncRNA genes have begun to be discovered and intensively studied. And transcription mechanisms of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) have been recently reported. Transcription of lncRNAs utilizes some transcription factors and mechanisms shared in that of protein-coding genes. In addition, tissue specificity in lncRNA gene expression has been shown. LncRNAs play essential roles in regulating the expression of neighboring or distal genes through different mechanisms. This leads to the implication of lncRNAs in a wide variety of biological pathways and pathological development. In this review, the newly discovered transcription mechanisms, characteristics, and functions of lncRNA are discussed.
RNA聚合酶II（Pol II）转录两类RNA，即蛋白质编码基因和非蛋白质编码（ncRNA）基因。ncRNA也由RNA聚合酶I和III（Pol I和III）合成。在人类中，ncRNA基因的数量超过蛋白质编码基因数量的两倍多。然而，对Pol II合成的ncRNA的研究历史相对较短。自21世纪初以来，这些ncRNA基因的重要生物学和病理学功能已开始被发现并得到深入研究。并且，长链非编码RNA（lncRNA）的转录机制最近也有报道。lncRNA的转录利用了一些与蛋白质编码基因共有的转录因子和机制。此外，lncRNA基因表达的组织特异性也已得到证实。lncRNA通过不同机制在调节邻近或远端基因的表达中发挥重要作用。这使得lncRNA在多种生物学途径和病理发展中具有重要意义。在这篇综述中，将讨论lncRNA新发现的转录机制、特征和功能。
