Figure 3.

Regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs in fruit and vegetables. A lncRNAs regulate the expression of genes in cis or trans configuration. B Mutual regulation of lncRNAs and plant hormones. C TFs activate or inhibit the expression of lncRNAs by recognizing transcription recognition sites within the lncRNA promoter region; lncRNAs bound to transcription factors, forming RNA–protein complexes that modulate the activity of transcription factors. D In the first scenario, lncRNAs act as a precursor for miRNA. In the second scenario, miRNAs recognize and cleave lncRNAs to generate siRNA; lncRNAs are competitively bound to miRNAs, regulating the expression of target mRNAs. E Alternative splicing generates diverse variants of lncRNAs; lncRNAs bind to miRNAs, altering the regulatory function of miRNAs on mRNAs and leading to the production of distinct mRNA variants.