title: Non-coding RNAs: could they be the answer?
abstract: Despite a considerable amount of effort by different groups to evaluate the genetic traits associated with complex diseases by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), just a few regions, mainly linked to protein-coding genes, were identified. Recently, studies from different groups have implicated new classes of long non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) to important molecular mechanisms. Additionally, high-throughput transcriptome analyses of different cell types have shown that an unexpected amount of genomic DNA is transcribed. I am writing to propose that the majority of the regions that do not clearly correspond to a 'gene' controlling certain traits might be ncRNAs or other regulatory transcripts that are still unknown. These regions will need to be carefully examined in the future.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Children's Memorial Research Center and Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. fcosta@childrensmemorial.org
authors.forename: Fabricio F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D022661:RNA, Untranslated