Non-coding RNA in Epigenetic Regulation

Dear Colleagues,

Non-coding RNA is now accepting submissions for a Special Issue on the biology of Non-coding RNA in Epigenetic Regulation. This Special Issue is guest-edited by Professor John Mattick from the University of New South Wales in Sydney. This Special Issue will also include commissioned topical reviews written by leaders in the field.

Epigenetic regulation has emerged as the senior level of control of cell fate. There is a bewildering array of histone modifications, as well as DNA methylation marks, imposed differentially at different genomic positions in different cells and tissues at different stages of development. There are also large numbers of histone and DNA modification ‘writers’ and ‘erasers’, which have no intrinsic sequence specificity, and hence, there is another layer of information required to direct these enzymes to their sites of action during four-dimensional ontogeny of multicellular organisms. Epigenetic processes are also essential for learning and have, for example, been associated with cocaine addiction.

Animals and plants produce large numbers of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that show precise expression patterns and subcellular locations. Many, if not most, lncRNAs are nuclear-localized and bind chromatin-modifying complexes, which suggests they may function as instructive guides for histone and DNA modification enzymes and comprise the hidden layer of genomic information that directs development. Many subnuclear domains, including those involved in enhancer action, are built around RNA scaffolds. Small RNAs have been shown to effect epigenetic changes through a phenomenon known as transcriptional gene silencing. RNAs are also subject to extensive editing and modification, likely the molecular basis of epigenetic plasticity and gene–environment interactions.

The new frontier of developmental biology and neurobiology is to understand which and how regulatory RNAs control epigenetic processes by dissecting the signaling pathways and structure–function relationships involved. This Special Issue will group together the latest advances in this burgeoning field.

We will consider Research, Methods, and Review manuscripts of exceptional interest on the following topics:

• Non-coding RNAs controlling differentiation and development;
• Non-coding RNAs involved in nervous system formation and function;
• Mutations in non-coding RNAs causing complex disorders;
• RNA interactions with proteins involved in epigenetic transactions;
• Structure-function relationships of non-coding RNAs in epigenetic pathways.

Prof. Dr. John Mattick
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Non-Coding RNA is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 1800 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.