CryRNA: a new class of cryptic, genic nuclear RNA

The project takes a 2022 look at old results obtained in plants by classical hybridization techniques. Some protein-coding genes give rise to production of arrays of evolutionarily conserved, stable, nuclear RNA species without a poly(A) tail, referred to here as cryptic RNAs or cryRNAs. Short-read sequencing employed en masse until now systematically misses cryRNAs, but new long-read direct RNA sequencing technology can capture these overlooked, but potentially important players in cellular function. What exactly are these genic non-coding RNAs? Why do some genes produce them? Does their genomewide pattern of occurrence point to specific biological functions? The project will provide answers to these questions and may thereby open a new field of research.