Long noncoding RNAs: Re-writing dogmas of RNA processing and stability.

ABSTRACT: Most of the human genome is transcribed, yielding a complex network of transcripts that includes tens of thousands of long noncoding RNAs. Many of these transcripts have a 5' cap and a poly(A) tail, yet some of the most abundant long noncoding RNAs are processed in unexpected ways and lack these canonical structures. Here, I highlight the mechanisms by which several of these well-characterized noncoding RNAs are generated, stabilized, and function. The MALAT1 and MEN β (NEAT1_2) long noncoding RNAs each accumulate to high levels in the nucleus, where they play critical roles in cancer progression and the formation of nuclear paraspeckles, respectively. Nevertheless, MALAT1 and MEN β are not polyadenylated as the tRNA biogenesis machinery generates their mature 3' ends. In place of a poly(A

SUBMITTER: Wilusz JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4676738 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature