Long noncoding rnas—crucial players organizing the landscape of the neuronal nucleus

Abstract

The ability to regulate chromatin organization is particularly important in neurons, which dynamically respond to external stimuli. Accumulating evidence shows that lncRNAs play important architectural roles in organizing different nuclear domains like inactive chromosome X, splicing speckles, paraspeckles, and Gomafu nuclear bodies. LncRNAs are abundantly expressed in the nervous system where they may play important roles in compartmentalization of the cell nu-cleus. In this review we will describe the architectural role of lncRNAs in the nuclei of neuronal cells.