长链非编码RNA的生物学功能和研究方法

Biological Function and Research Methods of Long Noncoding RNA

长链非编码RNA(long-noncoding RNA,lncRNA)是一类长度大于200nt的非编码RNA(noncoding RNA,ncRNA),不具有编码蛋白质的功能,直接以RNA的形式发挥作用,以诱饵分子、信号分子、引导分子和支架分子的方式在转录水平和转录后水平调节蛋白质编码基因的表达,参与细胞分化和个体发育等生命过程。lncRNA存在普遍的转录现象,但与蛋白质编码基因相比表达水平较低。基因组测序结果显示生物体内仅有少量的编码基因,绝大部分基因以非编码的形式存在于动物和植物体内起调控作用。近年来以miRNA和siRNA为代表的ncRNA的研究已经取得了丰硕的成果,而lncRNA的研究才刚刚开始,但是已经有研究表明lncRNA有广泛的生物学功能,如染色体修饰、X染色体沉默、干扰或激活转录和核内运输等。以转录组测序、微阵列和荧光原位杂交为代表的研究方法也在发展完善。

Long noncoding RNA（ lncRNA）,longer than 200 nucleotides,can not encode protein,and directly plays a role in the form of RNA at transcription and post-transcription level as decoys,signals,guides,and scaffolds. Compared with the expression of encoding protein gene,the expression of lncRNA is lower.Genomewide studies have uncovered there are only a small amount of the encoding gene,while there are a large number of ncRNAs,which play regulatory role in plants,animals and human. In recent years,the study of ncRNA has been mainly on miRNA and siRNA,having achieved fruitful results. However the research of lncRNA has just begun,some researches have shown that lncRNA has extensive biological functions,such as chromosome modification,X chromosome silencing, transcription interference, transcription activation, and nuclear transport. Meanwhile the related research methods represented for RNA-seq,microarray,and FISH are also developing.