This contributed volume offers a comprehensive and detailed overview of the various aspects of long non-coding RNAs and discusses their emerging significance. Written by leading experts in the field, it motivates young researchers around the globe, and offers graduate and postgraduate students fascinating insights into genes and their regulation in eukaryotes and higher organisms.

This second edition shows how long non-coding RNAs (lnc)RNAs have emerged as a new paradigm in epigenetic regulation of the genome. Thousands of lncRNAs have been identified and observed in a wide range of organisms. Unlike mRNA, lncRNA have no protein-coding capacity. So, while their function is not entirely clear, they may serve as key organizers of protein complexes that allow for higher order regulatory events. Advances in the field also include better characterization of human long non-coding RNAs, novel insights into their roles in human development and disease, their diverse mechanisms of action and novel technologies to study them.

Computational Non-coding RNA Biology is a resource for the computation of non-coding RNAs. The book covers computational methods for the identification and quantification of non-coding RNAs, including miRNAs, tasiRNAs, phasiRNAs, lariat originated circRNAs and back-spliced circRNAs, the identification of miRNA/siRNA targets, and the identification of mutations and editing sites in miRNAs. The book introduces basic ideas of computational methods, along with their detailed computational steps, a critical component in the development of high throughput sequencing technologies for identifying different classes of non-coding RNAs and predicting the possible functions of these molecules. Finding, quantifying, and visualizing non-coding RNAs from high throughput sequencing datasets at high volume is complex. Therefore, it is usually possible for biologists to complete all of the necessary steps for analysis. - Presents a comprehensive resource of computational methods for the identification and quantification of non-coding RNAs - Introduces 23 practical computational pipelines for various topics of non-coding RNAs - Provides a guide to assist biologists and other researchers dealing with complex datasets - Introduces basic computational methods and provides guidelines for their replication by researchers - Offers a solution to researchers approaching large and complex sequencing datasets

This book offers a comprehensive and detailed overview of various aspects of long non-coding RNAs. It discusses their emerging significance in molecular medicine, ranging from human cancers to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Transcriptomic studies have demonstrated that the majority of genomes found in complex organisms are expressed in highly dynamic and cell-specific patterns, producing huge numbers of intergenic, antisense and intronic long non-protein-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Thousands of lncRNAs have been identified, and unlike mRNA, they have no protein-coding capacity. A large repertoire of ncRNAs, actively transcribed from the mammalian genome, control diverse cellular processes, both in terms of development and diseases, through a variety of gene regulatory mechanisms. IncRNAs have emerged as a new paradigm in epigenetic regulation of the genome. Given its scope, the book will be of particular interest to molecular, chemical, cell and developmental biologists, as well as specialists in translational medicine involved in disease-oriented research. It also offers a valuable resource for in silico experts seeking a deeper understanding of lncRNA expression and function through computational analysis of the NGS data.

The book conveys a comprehensive knowledge of long and short ncRNAs in cancer regulation and their potentials as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Topics covered include the molecular mechanisms of various classes of ncRNAs (with emphasis on long non-coding RNAs and microRNAs) in cancer, the functional roles of ncRNAs in regulating different cancer hallmarks (including proliferation, apoptosis, stem-cell properties, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metabolism, angiogenesis, tumor-host interactions and therapeutic resistance), the role of ncRNAs in regulating cancer signaling circuitry programs (highlighting their involvement in c-myc, p53 and NFkB signaling), a systemic summary of clinical and preclinical studies that evaluate the potential of ncRNA signatures for cancer diagnosis and prognosis and strategies to delivery short ncRNAs as therapeutic molecules for cancer treatment. This book may serve as a comprehensive resource for researchers, graduate students and oncologists in ncRNA and cancer research and help drug development by identifying ncRNA targets.

Publisher’s note: In this 2nd edition, the following article has been updated: Xun Y, Tang Y, Hu L, Xiao H, Long S, Gong M, Wei C, Wei K and Xiang S (2019) Purification and Identification of miRNA Target Sites in Genome Using DNA Affinity Precipitation. Front. Genet. 10:778. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00778

The discovery of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) is changed our understanding of genome, transcriptome, and interactions with proteome in a cell. Since the discovery of the first microRNA (miRNA) called lin-4 on Caenorhabditis elegans in 1993, our understanding of gene expression has deepened. Further miRNA discoveries have led to the investigation of new ncRNA families and their function, biogenesis, and interactions with other types of molecules. Recent developments in bioinformatics, public databases, sequencing technologies, and biochemical techniques have increased our understanding of the biogenesis, function, and interactions of ncRNAs. This book provides an overview of current ncRNA research dealing with human diseases and cancer and plant miRNAs.

This book presents a common principle of actions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) from points of view at the atomic, molecular and cellular levels. At the atomic level, chemical studies of ribonucleic acids explain the chemical behavior of lncRNAs. Structural biological analysis of lncRNAs and its binding proteins also reveal the precise mechanisms of their actions. Molecular biological approaches lead to insights into molecular mechanisms of these lncRNA actions. At the cellular or individual level of analysis, we grasp the biology and medicine of lncRNAs. These three layers of approaches are thoroughly new and produce novel insights into functions of lncRNAs in living cells. The book consists of five parts: 1) Bioinformatics and other methodologies for lncRNAs, 2) Atomic and molecular structures of lncRNAs, 3) Molecular functions of lncRNAs, 4) Biological actions of lncRNAs, and 5) Potential outcomes for clinical medicine. These sections connect well and work synergistically. The book is for researchers whose specialty is RNA biology and chemistry and also for advanced students at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Readers can grasp the leading edge of lncRNA studies in a comprehensive manner and are inspired to pursue their own particular interests.

The dark side of the genome represents vast domains of the genome that are not encoding for proteins – the basic bricks of cellular structure and metabolism. Up to 98% of the human genome is non-coding and produces so-called long non-coding RNA. Some of these non-coding RNA play fundamental roles in cellular identity, cell development and cancer progression. They are now widely studied in many organisms to understand their function. This book reviews this expanding field of research and present the broad functional diversities of those molecules and their putative fundamental and therapeutic roles and develops the recent history of non-coding RNA, their very much debated classification and how they raise a formidable interest for developmental and tumorigenesis biology. Using classical examples and an extensive bibliography, the book illustrates the most studied and attractive examples of these long non-coding RNA, how they interface with epigenetics, genome integrity and expression and what are the current models of their regulatory mechanisms. - This book offers a large review about the long non-coding RNA - It presents the broad functional diversities of those molecules - It presents pioneer works from the field - Provides a comprehensive review of the field - Presents fundamental and therapeutic interests

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are the “dark matter” of the genome, occupying vast regions yet not coding for proteins. Despite their elusive nature, they play a pivotal role in regulating gene expression and cellular processes and participate in chromatin remodeling and signal transduction. Crucial in development and disease, ncRNAs influence embryogenesis, cell differentiation, and cancer progression. Their potential in diagnostics and therapeutics marks a revolutionary frontier in genetic and medical research. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the regulatory and developmental roles of ncRNAs, from gene regulation in plants to their crucial functions in embryogenesis and cancer, and their potential in diagnostics and therapeutics.