Noncoding RNAs in Health and Disease

摘要

Genome and RNA sequencing have reliably demonstrated that up to 90% of the human genome may be transcribed. According to actual estimates, the proteome genome (i.e., all genomic sequences involved in mRNA synthesis) occupies only up to 4% of the humangenome [1]. The remaining part, which may be provisionally named as noncoding RNA genome (ncRNA genome), comprises genes encoding a plethora of structurally and functionally different RNAs other than mRNAs; since most of these apparently do not code forproteins, they have been labelled noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) [2]. These data have determined a radical paradigm shift in biomolecular medicine and modified our vision of genome structure and functions. They also changed objectives and perspectives of genomic research. As reminded above, the ncRNA genome very likely occupies a very large molecular space; accordingly, it seems logical to hypothesize that the molecular explanation of important biopathological phenomena (i.e., normal development and differentiation together with their pathological alterations) is to be found in these regions.