Role of chromatin, environmental changes and single cell heterogeneity in non-coding transcription and gene regulation.
The number and variety of factors underlying control of gene expression have been frequently underestimated. Non-coding RNAs generated through pervasive transcription have recently been implicated in shaping the transcriptional landscape in different organisms from bacteria to higher eukaryotes, adding a previously unexpected layer of complexity to the process of gene regulation. In this review, we highlight non-coding transcription-dependent regulatory mechanisms linked to chromatin organization and environmental changes, and particular emphasis is given to single-cell approaches, which have been crucial in dissecting cell-to-cell variability. These studies have revealed that non-coding transcription can underlie the extensive heterogeneity in patterns of gene expression within a cell population.
Department of Cell Biology, iGE3, 30 Quai E. Ansermet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: manuele.castelnuovo@gmail.com.
Manuele
M
Castelnuovo
Department of Cell Biology, iGE3, 30 Quai E. Ansermet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: Francoise.Stutz@unige.ch.
Françoise
F
Stutz
D002470:Cell Survival; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D016678:Genome; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000235:genetics*
D002843:Chromatin; D022661:RNA, Untranslated