Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA; email:
Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, F-67084 Strasbourg, France; email:
Annu Rev Plant Biol. 2021 Jun 17;72:245-271. doi: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-093020-035446. Epub 2021 Mar 22.
Plants have an extraordinary diversity of transcription machineries, including five nuclear DNA-dependent RNA polymerases. Four of these enzymes are dedicated to the production of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are ribonucleic acids with functions independent of their protein-coding potential. lncRNAs display a broad range of lengths and structures, but they are distinct from the small RNA guides of RNA interference (RNAi) pathways. lncRNAs frequently serve as structural, catalytic, or regulatory molecules for gene expression. They can affect all elements of genes, including promoters, untranslated regions, exons, introns, and terminators, controlling gene expression at various levels, including modifying chromatin accessibility, transcription, splicing, and translation. Certain lncRNAs protect genome integrity, while others respond to environmental cues like temperature, drought, nutrients, and pathogens. In this review, we explain the challenge of defining lncRNAs, introduce the machineries responsible for their production, and organize this knowledge by viewing the functions of lncRNAs throughout the structure of a typical plant gene.
植物具有非凡多样的转录机制，包括五种依赖核 DNA 的 RNA 聚合酶。其中四种酶专门用于生成长非编码 RNA（lncRNA），这是一类独立于其蛋白编码潜能的核糖核酸。lncRNA 具有广泛的长度和结构，但它们与 RNA 干扰（RNAi）途径的小 RNA 指导物不同。lncRNA 通常作为基因表达的结构、催化或调节分子。它们可以影响基因的所有元件，包括启动子、非翻译区、外显子、内含子和终止子，在多个层次上控制基因表达，包括修饰染色质可及性、转录、剪接和翻译。某些 lncRNA 保护基因组完整性，而其他 lncRNA 则响应温度、干旱、营养物质和病原体等环境线索。在这篇综述中，我们解释了定义 lncRNA 的挑战，介绍了负责其生成的机制，并通过观察 lncRNA 在典型植物基因结构中的功能来组织这方面的知识。
