Biomaterial Database

Regulatory roles of nucleolus organizer region-derived long non-coding RNAs. 2022

Qinyu Hao, and Kannanganattu V Prasanth

Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.

The nucleolus is the largest sub-nuclear domain, serving primarily as the place for ribosome biogenesis. A delicately regulated function of the nucleolus is vital to the cell not only for maintaining proper protein synthesis but is also tightly associated with responses to different types of cellular stresses. Recently, several long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were found to be part of the regulatory network that modulate nucleolar functions. Several of these lncRNAs are encoded in the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeats or are transcribed from the genomic regions that are located near the nucleolus organizer regions (NORs). In this review, we first discuss the current understanding of the sequence of the NORs and variations between different NORs. We then focus on the NOR-derived lncRNAs in mammalian cells and their functions in rRNA transcription and the organization of nucleolar structure under different cellular conditions. The identification of these lncRNAs reveals great potential of the NORs in harboring novel genes involved in the regulation of nucleolar functions.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008322	Mammals	Warm-blooded vertebrate animals belonging to the class Mammalia, including all that possess hair and suckle their young.	Mammalia,Mammal
D009697	Nucleolus Organizer Region	The chromosome region which is active in nucleolus formation and which functions in the synthesis of ribosomal RNA.	Nucleolar Organizer,Nucleolar Organizers,Nucleolus Organizer Regions,Organizer Region, Nucleolus,Organizer Regions, Nucleolus,Organizer, Nucleolar,Organizers, Nucleolar,Region, Nucleolus Organizer,Regions, Nucleolus Organizer
D002466	Cell Nucleolus	Within most types of eukaryotic CELL NUCLEUS, a distinct region, not delimited by a membrane, in which some species of rRNA (RNA, RIBOSOMAL) are synthesized and assembled into ribonucleoprotein subunits of ribosomes. In the nucleolus rRNA is transcribed from a nucleolar organizer, i.e., a group of tandemly repeated chromosomal genes which encode rRNA and which are transcribed by RNA polymerase I. (Singleton & Sainsbury, Dictionary of Microbiology & Molecular Biology, 2d ed)	Plasmosome,Cell Nucleoli,Nucleoli, Cell,Nucleolus, Cell,Plasmosomes
D004275	DNA, Ribosomal	DNA sequences encoding RIBOSOMAL RNA and the segments of DNA separating the individual ribosomal RNA genes, referred to as RIBOSOMAL SPACER DNA.	Ribosomal DNA,rDNA
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014158	Transcription, Genetic	The biosynthesis of RNA carried out on a template of DNA. The biosynthesis of DNA from an RNA template is called REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION.	Genetic Transcription
D062085	RNA, Long Noncoding	A class of untranslated RNA molecules that are typically greater than 200 nucleotides in length and do not code for proteins. Members of this class have been found to play roles in transcriptional regulation, post-transcriptional processing, CHROMATIN REMODELING, and in the epigenetic control of chromatin.	LincRNA,RNA, Long Untranslated,LINC RNA,LincRNAs,Long Intergenic Non-Protein Coding RNA,Long Non-Coding RNA,Long Non-Protein-Coding RNA,Long Noncoding RNA,Long ncRNA,Long ncRNAs,RNA, Long Non-Translated,lncRNA,Long Intergenic Non Protein Coding RNA,Long Non Coding RNA,Long Non Protein Coding RNA,Long Non-Translated RNA,Long Untranslated RNA,Non-Coding RNA, Long,Non-Protein-Coding RNA, Long,Non-Translated RNA, Long,Noncoding RNA, Long,RNA, Long Non Translated,RNA, Long Non-Coding,RNA, Long Non-Protein-Coding,Untranslated RNA, Long,ncRNA, Long,ncRNAs, Long