The Long And Short Of Rnas

摘要

The relationship between DNA, RNA and protein is no longer as simple as we once thought - that specific genomic sequences are transcribed into messenger RNAs, which are then translated into proteins. In recent years, a flurry of studies has reported the existence of a large and growing family of non-protein-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), describing the different mechanisms of their transcription and their role in regulating gene expression. Six remarkable papers, including three in this issue, form the latest additions to the list of studies.rnReports of the identification of ncRNAs were initially met with scepticism because of the inherent instability of these single-stranded molecules: RNA is prone to chemical degradation and enzymatic cleavage, as well as to incomplete conversion back to DNA. Sporadic identification of ncRNAs in the past has therefore often been dismissed as one ofrnthese artefacts. High-throughput genomics approaches, however, have begun to chart consistent patterns that are unlikely to be artefacts, and reveal several specific mechanisms for ncRNA biogenesis and processing.