Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.5
2.8
Journals
Genes
Special Issues
Reviews in RNA: Mechanisms and Roles
share announcement

Reviews in RNA: Mechanisms and Roles

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "RNA".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2026 | Viewed by 876

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Laurent Metzinger

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UR-UPJV 4666, HEMATIM, CURS, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80025 Amiens, France
Interests: gene regulation; non-coding RNAs; kidney disease; erythropoiesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Valérie Metzinger-Le Meuth

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. HEMATIM UR 4666 (UPJV), C.U.R.S, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80025 Amiens, CEDEX 1, France
2. Laboratory for Vascular Translational Science (LVTS) (INSERM UMRS 1148), UFR SMBH, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, 93017 Bobigny, CEDEX, France
Interests: gene regulation; non-coding RNAs; kidney disease; erythropoiesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue aims to publish high-quality review papers providing a comprehensive overview of groundbreaking discoveries and new perspectives in the field of Reviews in Mechanisms and Roles of RNA. As our understanding of gene regulation mechanisms continues to evolve, review articles play a critical role in synthesizing knowledge, identifying knowledge gaps, and guiding future research. This Special Issue welcomes authoritative reviews covering a wide range of topics, including RNA structure and function, regulation of gene expression via non-coding RNAs, epigenetic modifications, RNA world, and so on. We are particularly interested in contributions that explore how gene regulation via RNAs is applied to understand human diseases, developmental processes, and so on. Particular attention is given to the translational impact of these discoveries, with contributions highlighting the development of innovative therapies and biomarkers.

By bringing together expert perspectives across diverse subfields, this Special Issue aims to serve as a valuable resource for both established researchers and newcomers in RNA-driven gene regulation.

Prof. Dr. Laurent Metzinger
Dr. Valérie Metzinger-Le Meuth
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gene regulation
  • non-coding RNA
  • RNA world
  • RNA-related metabolism

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

10 pages, 845 KB  
Review
Could Metabolism-Related Long Non-Coding RNAs Be More Conserved than Their Brain-Related Counterparts?
by Laurent Metzinger and Valérie Metzinger-Le Meuth
Genes 2026, 17(4), 484; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes17040484 - 18 Apr 2026
Viewed by 267
Abstract
The human genome produces a large repertoire of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) with important regulatory roles in development, physiology, and most of diseases. Among these, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as key modulators of gene expression, chromatin organization, and cellular homeostasis, despite displaying [...] Read more.
The human genome produces a large repertoire of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) with important regulatory roles in development, physiology, and most of diseases. Among these, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as key modulators of gene expression, chromatin organization, and cellular homeostasis, despite displaying remarkably low primary-sequence conservation across species. This apparent evolutionary paradox questions the limitations of predicting biological function based on conservation, particularly across different biological domains. Here, we examine current evidence on lncRNA evolution, with a focus on their roles in metabolic regulation compared with neurobiological processes. We hypothesize that lncRNAs involved in ancient and conserved pathways such as metabolism may be under stronger evolutionary constraint than those associated with higher-order, species-specific traits, although available data support a more nuanced interpretation. Functional importance often correlates poorly with linear sequence conservation and instead appears to depend on higher-level features, including RNA secondary or tertiary structure, genomic context, regulatory architecture, and interactions with conserved molecular partners. We propose a systematic comparative framework to empirically assess conservation among metabolism- and neuro-associated lncRNAs using phylogenetic, syntenic, structural, and expression-based metrics. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic implications of lncRNA biology, highlighting how a deeper understanding of their evolutionary and mechanistic properties may inform the development of more precise and effective RNA-targeting strategies. Together, these insights underscore the non-coding transcriptome as a critical frontier for both fundamental biology and precision medicine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reviews in RNA: Mechanisms and Roles)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-1
Back to TopTop