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Noncoding RNA

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior

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Synonyms

Junk RNA

Definition

An RNA sequence not coding for a protein is termed as a noncoding (nc) RNA.

Introduction

In general, the term noncoding RNA is used for RNA sequences that get transcribed from DNA but do not code for a protein. However, this does not imply that these RNAs do not code for any information or are devoid of any function. Studies have shown that the genome of mammals and other higher organisms gets transcribed into noncoding RNAs, which further undergo the process of splicing, leading to smaller products. The field of noncoding RNAs has progressed a great deal in the past decade due to the development of high-throughput sequencing tools and bioinformatic software (Delpu et al. 2016; https://www.whatisepigenetics.com/non-coding-rna/).

It is fascinating to know that a large chunk of the total RNA (around 60%) belongs to the class of noncoding RNAs. The functions of the noncoding RNAs involving complex mechanisms are gradually being understood. More or less, the...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology (MMV), Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

    Neelabh Neelabh

  2. Centre for Neural and Cognitive Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India

    Akash Gautam

Authors
  1. Neelabh Neelabh
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  2. Akash Gautam
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Neelabh Neelabh .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University , Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Centre for Neural and Cognitive Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India

    Akash Gautam

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Neelabh, N., Gautam, A. (2018). Noncoding RNA. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_192-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_192-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

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