title: Nuclear lncRNAs as epigenetic regulators-beyond skepticism.
abstract: Systematic transcriptome analysis has revealed that a vast majority of the mammalian genome is transcribed into RNA, thus establishing the concept of "pervasive transcription." More than half of these RNAs do not encode proteins, and they are collectively called noncoding RNAs. Although the physiological relevance of the transcription of these noncoding RNAs has remained unclear, it was recently proposed that one of the major roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the nucleus is the regulation of gene expression at the transcriptional level via histone or DNA modification. In this review, we will summarize the advancement of our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Chromatin and epigenetic regulation of animal development.
authors.affiliation: RNA Biology Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Saitama 351-0198, Japan. Electronic address: nakagawas@riken.jp.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Research Center for Environmental Genomics, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan; Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kageyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000502:physiology; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding
keywords: Epigenetics; Noncoding RNA; Polycomb; lncRNA