Table 1.
Examples of non-coding RNAs in nature and presence in microvesicles
| Non-coding RNA | Abbreviation | Example of function | References | MVs* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messenger RNA | mRNA | Coding information for translation | (Aitken et al. 2010) | Yes (see Transfer of mRNAs and miRNAs by microvesicles) |
| Transfer RNA | tRNA | Translation | (Aitken et al. 2010) | No |
| Ribosomal RNA | rRNA | Translation | (Aitken et al. 2010) | Yes (Hong et al. 2009) |
| Signal recognition particle RNA |
7SL RNA or SRP RNA |
Translocation of proteins across the endoplasmatic reticulum |
(Gribaldo and Brochier-Armanet 2006) | No |
| Small nuclear RNA | snRNA | Splicing | (Valadkhan 2010) | Yes (Valadi et al. 2007) |
| Small nucleolar RNA | snoRNA | Guides chemical modifications of otherRNAs (like methylation and pseudouridylation) |
(Kiss 2002) | Yes (Hunter et al. 2008) |
| Short interspersed repetitive elements |
SINE | The most common SINE is the Alu element (∼10% of the genome). Alu is upregulated in response to stress and binds RNA polymerase II to suppress transcription |
(Mariner et al. 2008) | Yes (see Retrotransposons) |
| microRNA | miRNA | Post-transcriptional gene silencing | (Bartel 2009) | Yes (see Transfer of mRNAs and miRNAs by microvesicles) |
| Small interfering RNA | siRNA | Post-transcriptional gene silencing | (Elbashir et al. 2001) | Yes (Kosaka et al. 2010) |
| Piwi-interacting RNA | piRNA | Transcriptional gene silencing, defense against retrotransposons |
(Taft et al. 2010) | No |
| Ribonuclease P | RNase P | Ribozyme involved in tRNA maturation |
(Guerrier-Takada et al. 1983) | No |
| Ribonuclease MRP | RNase MRP | Ribozyme involved in rRNA maturation as well as mitochondrial DNA replication |
(Li et al. 2002) | No |
| Y RNA | Y RNA | RNA processing, DNA replication | (Lerner et al. 1981) | No |
| Telomerase RNA | Telomere synthesis | (Feng et al. 1995) | No | |
| Antisense RNA | aRNA | Transcriptional attenuation/mRNA degradation/mRNA stabilization/ translation block |
(Katayama et al. 2005) | No |
| Long ncRNA, large intervening ncRNA (>200 nt) |
Long ncRNA, lincRNA |
Regulation of gene transcription, post-transcriptional regulation, epigenetic regulation |
(Kapranov et al. 2007) | Yes (Nilsson et al.2009) |
*
Documented presence in MVs