New Player of ncRNAs: Long Non-coding RNAs

The mechanism underlying the functions of non-protein coding RNAs (ncRNAs or npcRNAs) that have no or little protein-coding potential is a fascinating area of research [1]. Based on transcript length, ncRNAs are classified as short (<200 nt) and long ncRNAs (lncRNAs; >200 nt). The recent high-throughput analysis such as cDNA/EST in silico mining, whole-genome tilling array and RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) has revealed that the transcription landscape in eukaryotes is much more complex than had been expected [2-4]. Transcriptome analysis estimates transcripts cover 90% of eukaryotic genome [5]. These approaches have facilitated the identification of thousands of novel ncRNAs (or npcRNAs) in many organisms, such as humans, animals, and plants [6-9].