I have always been interested in the role of non-coding RNAs in regulating biological processes. This paper from Nature examines and characterizes the function of large intergenic non-coding RNA (lincRNA) in embryonic stem cells. They demonstrate that lincRNAs have a role in controlling embryonic stem cell state and affect global gene expression through interactions with transcriptional regulators. As we learn more about the functions of non-coding RNAs, we are better able to piece together the complex evolution of genetic information processing.
This article is pretty interesting. There is definitely a lot of future work that needs to be done- especially with the idea that lincRNAs act as protein scaffolds. With so many lincRNAs it may take a while to better understand their behavior, but will definitely provide a unique perspective on gene expression control.
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