The Non-coding RNAs: Sequence, Structure and Function

Dear Colleagues,

Cellular RNA molecules are emerging as one of the most critical biomolecules in modern biology and biomedicine. Recent advances in next-generation sequencing strategies coupled with bioinformatic techniques have uncovered an unprecedented number of non-coding RNAs. These RNAs play a wide variety of roles in almost every aspect of cellular functions, including gene regulation, genome dynamics, inflammation, protein trafficking, developmental programming, and catalysis. Many non-coding RNAs are directly involved in the pathogenesis of both genetic and infectious diseases. Besides naturally occurring RNAs, several artificial RNAs such as aptamers have also been used in biosensing and biotechnology applications. Similar to proteins, these RNAs often fold into three-dimensional structures to perform their functions, but their structural characteristics and evolutionary constraints differ significantly from proteins. Several methodologies and approaches have been developed to facilitate the understanding of non-coding RNA structure–function relationships. However, the structural determination of non-coding RNAs and the integration of high-throughput transcriptomics, epi-transcriptomics, structuromics, and interactomics data with bioinformatic strategies remain a demanding challenge. This Special Issue, “The Non-coding RNAs: Sequence, Structure, and Function”, covers the various aspects of non-coding RNAs. The topics highly welcome for submission as comprehensive reviews and original research manuscripts include but are not limited to: biochemical, biophysical, and computational methods of non-coding RNA structure determination, RNA omics methodologies, RNA modifications, riboregulation, and RNA catalysis.

Dr. Deepak Koirala
Guest Editor

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