Progress in research on long, non-coding, insect RNA
Author of the article:XIAO Hua-Mei1** LI Mei-Zhen2 LI Fei2**
Author's Workplace：1. College of Life Sciences and Resource Environment, Yichun University, Yichun 336000, China; 2. Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Key Words：Progress in research on long, non-coding, insect RNA
Abstract： Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a class of non-coding RNA gene with a length > 200 nt. LncRNA has important biological functions in vivo, and has attracted increasing research interest in recent years. There are currently no universal classification criteria for lncRNA which is classified on the basis of length, genome location, or function. Bioinformatics prediction pipelines for lncRNA are well established and a huge number of lncRNA have been identified from the RNA-seq data. So far, 47 049 lncRNA genes have been identified from 11 insects, includingDrosophila melanogaster, Bombyx mori and Nilaparvata lugens. Some lncRNAs have been found to be highly expressed during the critical period of morphological change in D. melanogaster, the insecticide-resistant strain of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella, a high fecundity population of Nilaparvata lugens, and dengue virus serotype 2 infected cells of Aedes aegypti. This suggests that lncRNA may perform important roles in regulating metamorphosis, development, insecticide resistance, viral resistance, and reproduction. It has also been reported that lncRNAs are involved in the insect dosage compensation effect, sleep behavior and sex determination. Here, we briefly review progress in research on the classification, identification, discovery, and function of lncRNAs.