Tag Archives: Comparative genomics

Structural and Functional Annotation of Long Noncoding RNAs

Protein-coding RNAs represent only a small fraction of the transcriptional output in higher eukaryotes. The remaining RNA species encompass a broad range of molecular functions and regulatory roles, a consequence of the structural polyvalence of RNA polymers. Albeit several classes of small noncoding RNAs are relatively well characterized, the accessibility of affordable high-throughput sequencing is generating a wealth of novel, ...

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Understanding long non-coding RNAs using comparative genomics

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged in recent years as major players in a multitude of pathways across species, but it remains challenging to understand which of them are important and how their functions are performed. Comparative sequence analysis has been instrumental for studying proteins and small RNAs, but the rapid evolution of lncRNAs poses new challenges that demand new ...

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Limited evidence for evolutionarily conserved targeting of long non-coding RNAs by microRNAs

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as important regulators of cell physiology, but it is yet unknown to what extent lncRNAs have evolved to be targeted by microRNAs. Comparative genomics has previously revealed widespread evolutionarily conserved microRNA targeting of protein-coding mRNAs, and here we applied a similar approach to lncRNAs. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden used a map ...

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