Commentary in 2015

Telomerase is a nucleoprotein complex of a reverse transcriptase and an RNA that binds complementary telomeric-repeat DNA sequences and directs their extension. In this Commentary, the authors propose how hairpin structures formed by telomeric DNA repeats promote addition of telomerase repeats and why telomere sequences are evolutionarily conserved despite the problems that they pose to DNA replication.

Cellular fate is determined by transcriptional networks and epigenetic states. In addition to protein factors, noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), particularly microRNAs and long ncRNAs, are able to remodel transcriptional circuits and reshape epigenetic landscapes. This Commentary highlights the emerging roles of these ncRNAs in cellular reprogramming, transdifferentiation and organ regeneration.

Recent advances in RNA-sequencing technologies have led to the discovery of thousands of previously unannotated noncoding transcripts, including many long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) whose functions remain largely unknown. Here, the authors discuss considerations and best practices when identifying and annotating lncRNAs that should aid their functional and mechanistic exploration.

The natural versatility of RNA makes it an ideal substrate for bioengineering. Its structural properties and predictable base-pairing permit its use as molecular scaffold, and its ability to interact with nucleic acids, proteins and small molecules confers a regulatory potential that can be harvested to design RNA regulators in diverse contexts.