ABSTRACT Genes specifying long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) occupy a large fraction of the genomes of complex organisms. The term ‘lncRNAs’ encompasses RNA polymerase I (Pol I), Pol II and Pol 

III transcribed RNAs, and RNAs from processed introns. The various functions of lncRNAs and their many isoforms and interleaved relationships with other genes make lncRNA classification and

annotation difficult. Most lncRNAs evolve more rapidly than protein-coding sequences, are cell type specific and regulate many aspects of cell differentiation and development and other

physiological processes. Many lncRNAs associate with chromatin-modifying complexes, are transcribed from enhancers and nucleate phase separation of nuclear condensates and domains,

function. In this Consensus Statement, we address the definition and nomenclature of lncRNAs and their conservation, expression, phenotypic visibility, structure and functions. We also

discuss research challenges and provide recommendations to advance the understanding of the roles of lncRNAs in development, cell biology and disease. SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS

GENE REGULATION BY LONG NON-CODING RNAS AND ITS BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS Article 22 December 2020 TRANSCRIPTION REGULATION BY LONG NON-CODING RNAS: MECHANISMS AND DISEASE RELEVANCE Article 19

January 2024 THE RNA ATLAS EXPANDS THE CATALOG OF HUMAN NON-CODING RNAS Article 17 June 2021 INTRODUCTION Research on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a previously unsuspected major output of

genomes of complex organisms, has been dogged by uncertainty and controversy from its beginning. lncRNAs have the unfortunate distinction of being named for what they are not, rather than

what they are. This loose description has its origins in the belief that the main role of RNA is to act as the intermediate between a gene and a protein, with other ‘housekeeping’ non-coding

RNAs such as ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), transfer RNAs (tRNAs), small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), spliceosomal RNAs and other small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) being ancillary to this function. Broad

recognition of RNA as a regulatory molecule occurred in the early years of the first decade of the twenty-first century with the unexpected discovery of large numbers of small interfering

RNAs (siRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs) and small PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) that regulate — through Argonaute family proteins — gene expression at transcriptional, post-transcriptional and

translational levels in eukaryotes1, although there were examples of other small regulatory RNAs in the literature, especially in bacteria2. A few long regulatory RNAs, notably _meiRNA_ in

the fission yeast _Schizosaccharomyces pombe_, _hsrω_, RNA on the X1 (_roX1_) and _roX2_ in _Drosophila melanogaster_, and _H19_ and X-inactive-specific transcript (_XIST_) in mammals, had

also been reported in the preceding years3,4,5,6,7, but were regarded more as oddities than early examples of a general phenomenon. Moreover, the small regulatory RNAs did not disturb the

conceptual framework that most genes encode proteins, but rather fitted comfortably into it. It was later found, however, that while some miRNAs are generated from the introns of pre-mRNAs8,

non-coding primary transcripts of miRNAs and of snoRNAs can also have functions9,10 and that rRNAs, tRNAs and snoRNAs are processed to generate small regulatory RNAs, including

miRNAs11,12,13,14, in some cases contributing to transgenerational epigenetic inheritance15. A bigger surprise, and challenge to the reigning understanding of genetic information, came in

the early and middle years of the first decade of the twenty-first century, when global transcriptomic analyses, intended to better define the proteome, revealed that most of the genome of

animals and plants is dynamically transcribed into longer RNAs that have little or no protein-coding potential16,17,18,19. This surprise was compounded by the associated finding that the

number, and to a large extent the repertoire, of protein-coding genes is similar in animals of widely different developmental and cognitive complexity — the nematode worm _Caenorhabditis

elegans_ (comprising ~1,000 somatic cells) and humans (~30 × 1012 somatic cells20) both have ~20,000 protein-coding genes — which was termed the ‘g-value paradox’21. By contrast, the extent

of non-coding DNA, and consequently the transcription of non-coding RNAs, has increased with increasing developmental complexity22. Understandably, the common initial reaction of the

molecular biology community was to suspect that these unusual RNAs are transcriptional noise, because of their generally low levels of sequence conservation, low levels of expression and low

visibility in genetic screens. Since then, however, there has been an explosion in the number of publications reporting the dynamic expression and biological functions of lncRNAs, aided by

extensive technology development that has enabled their identification and characterization, although only a minority of lncRNAs have confident annotations and very few have mechanistic

information. The realization that the genomes of plants and animals express large numbers of lncRNAs requires a framework for their classification and understanding of their functions and,

more profoundly, a reassessment of the amount and type of information required to programme the development of complex organisms. PURPOSE OF THIS CONSENSUS STATEMENT In this Consensus

Statement we present a current and coherent picture of the roles of lncRNAs in cell and developmental biology, identify the key issues in understanding their functions and chart the path

forward. We address lncRNA definition, nomenclature, conservation, expression, phenotypic visibility, functional assays and molecular mechanisms encompassing lncRNA connections to chromatin

architecture, epigenetic processes, enhancer function and biomolecular condensates, as well as the roles of lncRNAs outside the nucleus. We argue that loci expressing lncRNAs should be

recognized as bona fide genes and discuss lncRNA structure–function relationships as the means to parse mechanisms and pathways. Finally, we identify the current challenges and offer

recommendations for understanding the relationship of lncRNAs to genome architecture, gene regulation and cellular organization. The authors of this Consensus Statement were suggested by

recommendations of colleagues. Consensus was reached by group e-mail and discussion. DEFINITION AND NOMENCLATURE OF LNCRNAS lncRNAs have been arbitrarily defined as non-coding transcripts of

more than 200 nucleotides (200 nt), which is a convenient size cut-off in biochemical and biophysical RNA purification protocols that deplete most infrastructural RNAs, such as 5S rRNAs,

tRNAs, snRNAs and snoRNAs, as well as miRNAs, siRNAs and piRNAs23. This definition also excludes some other well-known short RNAs such as the primate-specific snaRs (~80–120 nt), which

associate with nuclear factor 90 (ref. 24); Y RNAs (~100 nt), which act as scaffolds for ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes25; vault RNAs (88–140 nt), which are involved in transferring

extracellular stimuli into intracellular signals26; and promoter-associated RNAs and non-canonical small RNAs produced by post-transcriptional processing27,28,29. Other non-coding RNAs lie

close to the 200-nt border, such as _7SK_ (~330 nt in vertebrates), which controls transcription poising and termination, including at enhancers30,31, and _7SL_ (~300 nt), which is an

integral component of the signal recognition particle that targets proteins to cell membranes32 and the evolutionary ancestor of the widespread primate Alu (~280 nt) and rodent B1 (~135 nt) 

small interspersed nuclear elements33,34,35. Given this grey zone of sizes, we support the suggestion that non-coding RNAs be divided into three categories36: (1) small RNAs (less than 50 

nt); (2) RNA polymerase III (Pol III) transcripts (such as tRNAs, 5S rRNA, _7SK_, _7SL_, and Alu, vault and Y RNAs37), Pol V transcripts in plants and small Pol II transcripts such as (most)

snRNAs and intron-derived snoRNAs38,39 (~50–500 nt); and (3) lncRNAs (more than 500 nt), which are mostly generated by Pol II. Many lncRNAs are spliced and polyadenylated, which has led to

their description as ‘mRNA-like’. However, other lncRNAs are not polyadenylated or 7-methylguanosine capped19,40,41,42, are expressed from Pol I (5.8S, 28S and 18S rRNAs) or Pol III

promoters, or are processed from precursors, including from introns and repetitive elements, leading to the more agnostic descriptor ‘transcripts of unknown function’43. With respect to

protein-coding genes, lncRNAs can be ‘intergenic’, antisense or intronic. They are also derived from ‘pseudogenes’, which occur commonly in metazoan genomes44, with more than 10,000

pseudogenes identified in the mouse genome45 and almost 15,000 identified in the human genome46, some of which have been shown to be functional44,47. lncRNAs also include circular RNAs

generated by back-splicing of coding and non-coding transcripts, also with demonstrated functions48, and _trans_-acting regulatory RNAs derived from sequences that conventionally act as the

3′ untranslated regions of mRNAs49. There have been many attempts at nomenclature and classification of lncRNAs, by the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee, the GENCODE consortium and others,

predominantly based on their genomic position and orientation relative to protein-coding genes46,50,51,52,53. Linking to nearby genes has been useful, as it provides context and has

sometimes provided clues to lncRNA function, for example in regulating the expression of these genes, as is often the case with enhancers (see later), although enhancer activity should not

be assumed to be directed to the most proximal genes. Many early studies focused on long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs), whose sequences do not trespass on nearby protein-coding loci,

owing to the need to distinguish their function from that of proteins. However, many other lncRNAs overlap protein-coding loci or are expressed from enclosed introns. Moreover, the

traditional view of genomes as linear arrangements of discrete protein-coding genes fails to accommodate the discovery that eukaryotic transcription, best characterized in human and model

organisms, is a fuzzy continuum54, with ‘genes’ within genes, genes interleaved with other genes and non-coding transcripts overlapping or originating within them18,43,55, together posing a

growing problem for genome annotations. In both humans and _D. melanogaster_, for example, many protein-coding genes have 5′ exons that are incorporated into mRNA in early embryogenesis and

lie hundreds of kilobases upstream of the usual first exon, bypassing many other genes in the intervening region56. Indeed, any base may be exonic, intronic or ‘intergenic’, depending on the

transcriptional output of the cell at any point in its developmental trajectory or physiological state55. For this reason, unless a lncRNA is antisense to a protein-coding gene, we

recommend naming lncRNAs for their own sake with allusion to a discerned characteristic or function (as has been traditional for proteins), such as _XIST_, antisense IGF2R non-protein-coding

RNA57 (_AIRN_), HOX antisense intergenic RNA58 (_HOTAIR_), _Gomafu_ (‘spotted pattern’ in Japanese; also known as _Miat_)59, _COOLAIR_ (referring to plant vernalization)60 and

auxin-regulated promoter loop61 (_APOLO_), for easy recollection, preferably accompanied by complete exon–intron structures and genomic coordinates. If no biological context is available, we

recommend naming the lncRNA according to the GENCODE system46. The wide range of functions of ‘non-coding’ RNAs precludes straightforward classification as specific RNA classes, with some

acting locally and some at a distance, or both62. In the absence of more specific categorization, we recommend retention of the general descriptor ‘lncRNA’, noting that most have some type

of regulatory or architectural, often related, role in cell and developmental biology, and because there are so many historical articles that use this term or variations thereof. Non-coding

RNAs come in all shapes and sizes, and the territory is huge, covering most of the genome and a plethora of functions. Some RNAs have dual functions as coding and regulatory RNAs, and some,

perhaps many, cytosolic lncRNAs encode small peptides63,64,65,66. Protein-coding loci also express lncRNAs through alternative splicing67,68,69, and, surprisingly, the major transcript

produced by ~17% of human protein-coding loci is non-coding70. Indeed, both lncRNA genes and mRNA genes can produce transcripts that function following different levels of processing.

Unspliced transcripts, spliced transcripts, circular RNAs, intronic RNAs and stable small RNAs generated from them can all have a function48,71,72. Any RNA can be regulatory, and any locus

can encode both protein-coding and regulatory RNAs. Well in excess of 100,000 human lncRNAs have been recorded52,73, many of which are specific to the primate lineage74. This is a vastly

incomplete list due to the limited analysis of different cells at different developmental stages (see later). There are now hundreds of thousands of catalogued lncRNAs and dozens of

databases (and databases of databases) with curated information75,76,77,78,79,80. Over the past decade, there have been ~50,000 publications with ‘long non-coding RNA’ as a key term and more

than 2,000 publications reporting validated lncRNA functions81, although most have yet to be followed up in any detail. From here on, we focus on lncRNAs derived from Pol II primary

transcription units (and use the term in that context), as opposed to other non-coding RNAs that are expressed from Pol I or Pol III promoters, processed from introns (which, it should be

noted, constitute a major fraction of the non-coding RNA in mammals and other organisms41,82,83,84) or formed by back-splicing, although many of the same considerations apply. CONSERVATION

OF LNCRNAS Most lncRNAs are less conserved among species than the mRNA sequences encoding the proteome. Initially, most of the mammalian genome (which included most lncRNA loci) was thought

to be evolving neutrally, using the yardstick of the rate of divergence of common ‘ancient repeats’ (derived from transposons) between the human and mouse genomes, on the assumption that

these sequences are non-functional and representative of the original distribution in the ancestor85. However, there is increasing evidence that transposable elements are widely co-opted as

functional elements of gene expression and structure, forming promoters, regulatory networks, exons and splice junctions in protein-coding genes and lncRNAs86,87,88,89, and therefore cannot

be used as indices of neutral evolution. Regulatory sequences, including promoters and lncRNAs, are known to evolve rapidly due to more relaxed structure–function constraints than

protein-coding sequences and due to positive selection during adaptive radiation85,90,91,92. Many lncRNAs are cell lineage specific. Indeed, given their association with developmental

enhancers (see later), variation in the complement and sequences of lncRNAs may be a major factor in species diversity. Loci expressing lncRNAs exhibit many of the characteristics of

protein-coding genes, including promoters, multiple exons, alternative splicing, characteristic chromatin signatures, regulation by morphogens and conventional transcription factors, altered

expression in cancer and other diseases74,93,94,95,96,97,98, and a range of half-lives similar to those of mRNAs99. The promoters of lncRNAs exhibit levels of conservation comparable to

those of protein-coding genes18,74. lncRNAs also have conserved exon structures, splice junctions and sequence patches18,74,93,97, and they retain orthologous functions despite rapid

sequence evolution100,101,102. Indeed, low sequence conservation can be misleading. The lncRNA telomerase RNA template component (_TERC_), which is required for telomere maintenance — a

vital cellular function — differs widely in size and sequence, but has conserved structural topology from yeast to mammals, albeit with some variation, and a conserved catalytic

core103,104,105,106,107,108 (see also later). X chromosome dosage compensation in _Drosophila_ spp. requires the formation of a nuclear domain through phase separation by the lncRNAs _roX1_

and _roX2_ interacting with the intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of a specific partner protein, male sex lethal 2 (MSL2). Replacing the IDR of the mammalian orthologue of MSL2 with that

of the _D. melanogaster_ protein and expression of _roX2_ is sufficient to nucleate ectopic X chromosome dosage compensation in mammalian cells, showing that the _roX_–MSL2 IDR interaction

is the primary determinant of compartmentalization of the X chromosome and that such interactions are preserved over vast evolutionary distances109. Similar processes are involved in the

regulation of X chromosome dosage compensation in placental mammals by _XIST_, which performs several functions, including repulsion of euchromatic factors, scaffolding of new

heterochromatic factors and reorganization of chromosome structure110,111,112,113. EXPRESSION Although there are exceptions (such as metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1

(_MALAT1_; also known as _NEAT2_), which is one of the most abundant Pol II transcripts in vertebrate cells114, and nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (_NEAT1_); see later), lncRNAs

generally show more restricted expression patterns than mRNAs74,115, and are often highly cell specific116, which is consistent with a role in the definition of cell state and developmental

trajectory. They also have specific subcellular locations, often nuclear, although a large fraction is cytoplasmic75. Although it is sometimes asserted that there are a few hundred cell

types in a human, broad classifications obscure the fact that each cell occupies a precise place in a developmental ontogeny, illustrated by the differential expression of HOX genes in

superficially similar skin cells in different regions of the body117, and by the expression of lncRNAs in various regions of the brain118,119,120,121 and at different stages of

development122. lncRNAs are also dynamically expressed during differentiation of mammalian stem, muscle, mammary gland, immune and neural cells, among many others81,116, with a transition

during development from broadly expressed and conserved lncRNAs towards an increasing number of lineage-specific and organ-specific lncRNAs123. lncRNA expression can also be strongly

influenced by environmental factors, a feature that is especially prominent in plants124,125,126, which include a range of stress responses in animals and drug resistance in

cancer127,128,129,130,131,132,133. The restricted expression of lncRNAs in different cells at different stages of development and their generally low copy number (owing to their regulatory

nature) accounts for their sparse representation in bulk-tissue RNA sequencing datasets134, whereas many lncRNAs are relatively easy to detect in particular cells118. The undersampling of

lncRNAs is now being rectified by targeted capture98,135, advanced imaging136,137,138, spatial transcriptomics139 and, in some cases, single-cell sequencing120,121,140, which make it clear

that, whereas ~20,000 human lncRNA loci have been identified by GENCODE46 and ~30,000 by the FANTOM consortium141, there is likely at least an order of magnitude more. Due to the high

complexity and the variation in transcription initiation and termination sites, expression levels and splicing, comprehensive characterization of transcriptomes is extremely challenging. A

recent study showed that the low expression of a lncRNA can be essential for its functional role by ensuring specificity to its regulated targets, suggesting that low abundance levels may be

an essential feature of how lncRNAs work142. To fully catalogue the universe of lncRNAs, and properly record their exon–intron organization and splice variants, high-depth sequencing will

need to be performed on cells at all stages of differentiation and development, undergoing different neural, immunological and other physiological processes, and in various disease states.

This is a huge task, but we recommend that future gene expression profiling should include full transcript analysis not just of mRNAs but also of small RNAs and lncRNAs that are intergenic,

antisense and intronic to the annotated genes, and their stoichiometry143. PHENOTYPIC VISIBILITY Like miRNAs, most lncRNAs have not been identified in genetic screens. There are two reasons

for this. First, most genetic screens historically focused on protein-coding mutations, which often have severe consequences that are easy to track; by contrast, regulatory mutations often

have subtle consequences that affect quantitative traits. Second, it is difficult to identify causal mutations among the many variations that occur in non-coding sequences. Indeed, most

variations that influence human quantitative traits and complex disorders occur in non-coding regions, which are replete with genes expressing lncRNAs144,145 that are transcribed in cell

types relevant to the associated trait141,146. There are exceptions of lncRNAs that have been identified genetically, notably the _roX1 _and _roX2_ RNAs involved in X chromosome activation

in male fruitflies5, mammalian parentally imprinted _H19_, _Airn_ and _Kcnq1ot1_ RNAs in mice6,57,147,148 and others such as _Tug1_ in mice149, _MAENLI_ (ref. 150) and _HELLP_ (named for

‘haemolysis, elevated liver enzyme levels and low platelet count’; also known as _HELLPAR_)151, which are associated with disorders or developmental processes. In _Arabidopsis thaliana_,

non-coding intronic single-nucleotide polymorphisms important for flowering-time adaptation were found to alter the splicing of the lncRNA _COOLAIR_152. Many lncRNAs have been associated

with the cause and progression of cancers, through altered expression of and/or mutations (including translocation breakpoints) in lncRNAs that act as oncogenes or tumour

suppressors153,154,155. Other lncRNAs are involved in human genetic disorders81,156,157, including DiGeorge syndrome and other neurodevelopmental and craniofacial defects158,159,160.

Phenylketonuria, one of the first documented human genetic disorders, caused mostly by mutations in the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase, is caused also by mutations in a lncRNA that can be

treated by modified RNA mimics161. A route to analysing lncRNA biological function is to silence or delete, or (less commonly) ectopically express, lncRNAs that have been identified in RNA

sequencing datasets, usually as being differentially expressed. There have been problems with the interpretation of such experiments, however, particularly the difficulty of disentangling

the loss of lncRNA expression from the loss of DNA regulatory elements162,163, which has been addressed by strategies such as inserting polyadenylation sites for early transcription

termination or transcription repression by CRISPR interference (CRISPRi), replacement of the lncRNA with a reporter gene that leaves the promoter intact or deletion of lncRNA exons (although

loss of downstream regulatory elements cannot be ruled out), antisense-mediated blockade of lncRNA splice sites, CRISPR–Cas13 targeting of the lncRNA (rather than its DNA sequence) and

transgene rescue163,164. There are now many studies that have demonstrated the biological roles of lncRNAs163, and high-throughput loss-of-function reverse genetic screens are increasing the

search speed, identifying, for example, lncRNAs that are required for mammalian cell growth and migration, brain, skeletal, lung, muscle and heart development, immune function, epidermal

homeostasis and cancer drug responses or lncRNAs that have fitness effects81,165,166,167,168,169,170 (Fig. 1). CRISPRi-mediated transcription repression of more than 16,000 lncRNAs in seven

human cell lines identified almost 500 lncRNAs required for normal cellular proliferation, 89% of which were expressed in only one cell type167. Phenotypic consequences of mutations in

regulatory RNAs, like some protein-coding mutations, may be context dependent and not evident in laboratory conditions, and may be obscured by the robustness of biological systems171. Loss

of _Malat1_, which localizes in nuclear speckles and associates with splicing factors, has no major phenotypes in mice114,172,173,174; however, it does affect cancer progression and synapse

formation, among other physiological and pathophysiological processes175,176. _Neat1_, which is required for the assembly and function of enigmatic, mammal-specific nuclear organelles called

‘paraspeckles’177,178,179, does not appear to be required for normal development in mice but is important for the differentiation of reproduction-related female tissues such as corpus

luteum and mammary gland180. Deletion of brain cytoplasmic RNA 1 (_BC1_), a highly expressed brain lncRNA, is seemingly harmless in mice but results in behavioural changes that would be

lethal in the wild181. So extensive phenotyping is important, especially for cognitive functions. Organoid models may help to identify phenotypes in vitro182,183. Functional annotation of

lncRNAs can also be undertaken by molecular phenotyping184. Analysis of expression patterns, lncRNA–chromatin interactions and other molecular indices following CRISPR–Cas13-mediated

depletion of more than 400 lncRNAs in culture indicated that lncRNAs regulate many genes involved in development, cell cycle and cellular adhesion, among other processes185. BIOLOGICAL

FUNCTIONS OF LNCRNAS Characterized examples have indicated that RNAs participate in virtually all levels of genome organization, cell structure and gene expression, through RNA–RNA, RNA–DNA

and RNA–protein interactions, often involving repeat elements88,186,187, including small interspersed nuclear elements in 3′ untranslated regions188. These interactions are involved in the

regulation of chromatin architecture and transcription (see later), splicing (especially by antisense lncRNAs)189,190,191, protein translation and localization188,192,193, and other forms of

RNA processing, editing, localization and stability194,195. Many lncRNAs are involved in the regulation of cell differentiation and development in animals and plants23,81,116,124,196. They

also have roles in physiological processes such as (in mammals) the p53-mediated response to DNA damage197, V(D)J recombination and class switch recombination in immune cells198, cytokine

expression199, endotoxic shock200, inflammation and neuropathic pain201,202,203, cholesterol biosynthesis and homeostasis204,205, growth hormone and prolactin production206, glucose

metabolism207,208, cellular signal transduction and transport pathways209,210,211,212, synapse function213,214 and learning215, and have roles in the response to various biotic and abiotic

stresses in plants124,125. There is also an emerging association of lncRNAs with the cell membrane216 and with ribozymes217. Presently, a growing number of lncRNAs have their own stories,

and the literature is becoming replete with them. However, several convergent themes are emerging, which explain lncRNA ubiquity and importance in differentiation and development: the

association of lncRNAs with chromatin-modifying proteins; the expression of lncRNAs from developmental ‘enhancers’; and the formation of RNA-nucleated phase-separated coacervates. CONTROL OF

CHROMATIN ARCHITECTURE Epigenetic modifications of chromatin supervise differentiation and development in complex organisms218. DNA methylation is known to be directed by small non-coding

RNAs in plants219, and the RNAi pathway is required for heterochromatin formation and epigenetic gene silencing in fungi and animals220. The mammalian de novo DNA (cytosine

5)-methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) and DNMT3B, but not the maintenance DNA methylase DNMT1, bind siRNAs with high affinity221. In turn, DNMT1 (which restores methylation at hemimethylated CpG

dinucleotides following DNA replication) binds lncRNAs to alter DNA methylation patterns at their cognate loci222,223,224, but this is still largely unexplored territory. There are more than

100 different histone modifications that are differentially established by enzymes at a myriad of different positions in plant and animal genomes to control gene expression during

development. The most studied are Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) and PRC2, which catalyse monoubiquitylation of histone H2A Lys119 (ref. 225) and dimethylation and trimethylation of

histone H3 Lys27 (H3K27), respectively, but in mammals neither complex contains sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins218. Early studies suggested that PRC2 and/or the associated H3K9

methyltransferase G9a are recruited during mouse X chromosome inactivation by _Xist_186, and the control of parental imprinting in mice by _Airn_226 and _Kcnq1ot1_ (ref. 227), although these

associations involve complexities and uncertainties228,229. A subsequent survey of more than 3,300 lncRNAs in human cells showed that ~20% (but only ~2% of mRNAs) interact with PRC2, and

that other lncRNAs are associated with other chromatin-modifying complexes230. Moreover, depletion of a selection of these RNAs caused derepression of genes normally silenced by PRC2 (ref.

230). PRC2 associates with many RNAs228,231,232, more than 9,000 in embryonic stem cells233. There are conflicting reports of whether these associations are nonspecific

(‘promiscuous’)228,234 or specific high-affinity interactions with different RNAs232,235, although these alternatives are not mutually exclusive229. Some recent studies have shown that RNA

is required for PRC2 chromatin occupancy, PRC2 function and cell state definition236, and that the interaction of PRC2 with RNA can regulate transcription elongation232. PRC1 function also

appears to be controlled by RNA237,238. However, deconvoluting RNA–protein interactions is complicated by the low affinity of many antibodies used in pulldown assays and the fact that PRC2,

for example, has at least two subunits that bind RNA228. The recent development of denaturing crosslinked immunoprecipitation (dCLIP), which is based on high-affinity biotin–streptavidin

pulldowns, has indicated that PRC2 interacts with G-rich RNA motifs, including RNA G-quadruplexes, to achieve specificity of RNA-mediated recruitment232,239,240. Other lncRNAs associate with

the gene-activating Trithorax complexes (which methylate H3K4), including enhancer RNAs involved in the maintenance of stem cell fates and lineage specification241,242,243,244,245. H3K9

dimethylation is regulated by lncRNAs during the formation of long-term memory in mice246. lncRNAs also control methylation of a number of non-histone proteins involved in animal cell

signalling, gene expression and RNA processing247. Many other proteins involved in modulating chromatin architecture, including HOX proteins, pioneer transcription factors such as NANOG,

OCT4 (also known asPOU5F1), SOX2 and other high mobility group (HMG) proteins, and proteins of SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complexes, have only vague or promiscuous DNA sequence

specificity248,249,250,251, which indicates that other factors are involved in determining their targets at different stages of cell differentiation and development. Moreover, binding-site

selection by the zinc-finger transcription factor CTCF, which, together with cohesin complexes, anchors chromosome loops252, was shown to be controlled by the lncRNA just proximal to _Xist_

(_Jpx_) during early cell differentiation, thereby regulating chromatin topology on a genome-wide scale253. CTCF binds thousands of RNAs, including _Xist_, _Jpx_ and the lncRNA _Xist_

antisense RNA (_Tsix_), which targets CTCF to the X inactivation centre254. There is abundant evidence that RNA may guide chromatin remodelling complexes, although accessibility dictated by

DNA and histone modifications (which are also likely directed by regulatory RNAs) may also have a role. The _D. melanogaster_ Hox protein Bicoid (which controls anterior–posterior

patterning) binds RNA through its homeodomain255. SOX2 binds RNA with high affinity through its HMG domain256,257, as do other members of the HMGB family257,258,259. During mouse

embryogenesis, the _Sox2_ locus expresses also an overlapping lncRNA260, and there are well-documented examples of lncRNAs that interact with SOX2 to regulate pluripotency, neurogenesis,

neuronal differentiation and brain development257,261,262,263,264. SWI/SNF nucleosome remodelling complexes are directed to specific sites in chromatin or are antagonized by lncRNAs,

including _XIST_ and enhancer RNAs, in a wide range of differentiation processes and cancers251,265,266,267,268,269,270. The lncRNA _MaTAR25_, which is overexpressed in mammary cancers, acts

in _trans_ to regulate the tensin 1 gene through interaction with the transcription co-activator PURB271. The master transcription factor myoblast determination protein (MYOD), which can

reprogramme mammalian fibroblasts into muscle cells and is central to muscle differentiation in vivo, is regulated by lncRNAs272,273,274, as are other aspects of muscle gene expression275.

The pioneer transcription factor CBP also binds RNAs, including those transcribed from enhancers, to stimulate histone acetylation and consequently transcription276. Some transcription

factors (OCT4, NANOG, SOX2 and SOX9) are also regulated by lncRNAs, including pseudogene-derived lncRNAs277,278,279,280,281, and reciprocally regulate the expression of lncRNAs282.

Enhancer-derived lncRNAs also regulate the expression of the nuclear hormone receptor ESR1 (ref. 283) and of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (CEBPA)284. ENHANCER ACTION Enhancers are

non-coding genomic loci that control the spatiotemporal expression of other genes during development. There appear to be ~400,000 (±100,000) enhancers in the mammalian genome285,286,287,288,

sometimes clustered into ‘super-enhancers’ or ‘enhancer jungles’288,289,290,291. Enhancers are thought to function by juxtaposing transcription factors bound at the enhancer promoters with

the promoters of target genes292,293. There is no question that enhancer action alters chromatin topology and may be responsible for the formation of chromatin-loop domains that act as local

transcription and splicing hubs294,295. Enhancers are transcribed in the cells in which they are active141,289,296,297,298,299, which has led to uncertainty about whether the resulting RNAs

are by-products of the binding of transcription factors or have a role in enhancer activity298. The latter appears to be the case. The epigenetic landscape of and the features of

transcription initiation at the promoters of protein-coding genes and enhancers are almost indistinguishable296,297,298,299,300. Enhancers express bidirectional promoter-associated short

RNAs301,302,303, termed ‘eRNAs’, although such short RNAs are not specific to enhancers, as similar bidirectional transcripts are produced from the promoters of protein-coding genes304,305.

Also analogously to mRNAs produced from protein-coding genes, enhancers express long (non-coding) RNAs (confusingly also referred to as ‘eRNAs’298,306), and transcription is considered the

best molecular indicator of enhancer activity in developmental processes296,297,306,307,308 and cancers288. Moreover, enhancer-lncRNA splicing has been shown to modulate enhancer

activity309,310. Although the extent of congruency of combined genetic and high-depth transcriptomic data is uncertain, as their availability is still limited, the data suggest that many if

not most lncRNAs are derived from enhancers141,298 and that lncRNAs are required for enhancer activity163,284,311,312,313,314, examples including the lncRNAs _Evf2_ (also known as

_Dlx6os1_)315, _Firre_316, _Peril_317, _Upperhand_ (also known as _Hand2os1_)318 and _Maenli_150 in mice. Enhancer RNA function is fertile ground for investigation, but if enhancer loci are

considered bona fide ‘genes’, the g-value paradox (the perceived lack of increase in gene number with developmental complexity) is resolved. It also means that a key development in the

evolution of complex organisms was the use of RNA to organize developmental trajectories319. It appears that “every cell type expresses precise lncRNA signatures to control lineage-specific

regulatory programs”270, and that cell state during ontogeny is likely directed by lncRNAs. FORMATION OF BIOMOLECULAR CONDENSATES The past decade has seen the growing appreciation of the

role of biomolecular condensates, or phase-separated domains (PSDs), in the organization of cells and chromatin. These condensates are highly dynamic assemblies with high local

concentrations of macromolecules, a feature that promotes functional interactions. The condensates usually contain both RNA and proteins320,321,322, the latter having IDRs, which are the

major sites of post-translational modifications323. IDRs interact with and are tunable by many partners324. The fraction of the proteome containing IDRs has expanded with cellular and

developmental complexity323, and nearly all proteins involved in the regulation of development, including most transcription factors, histones, histone-modifying proteins, other

chromatin-binding proteins, RNA-binding proteins, splicing factors, nuclear hormone receptors, cytoskeletal proteins and membrane receptors, contain IDRs323,325,326,327,328,329,330,331,332.

RNA is crucial for the form, composition and function of phase-separated RNA–protein condensates320,321,322. Specific ‘architectural’ lncRNAs333 associate with nuclear condensates of

different half-lives and functionalities, including in centrosomes334, nucleoli335 (the lncRNAs _SLERT_138 and _LETN_336), nuclear speckles (the lncRNA _MALAT1_ (refs. 173,337)) rich in

RNA-processing factors, speckle-related condensates that contain the lncRNA _Gomafu_ in mice338,339 and paraspeckles (the lncRNA _NEAT1_ (refs. 340,341)) (Fig. 2), in vertebrates as well as

polyadenylation complexes342 and other condensates in plants343. RNP condensates also include cytoplasmic membraneless organelles such as P-granules344,345, subcellular-localized

translational messenger RNP assemblies346 and synaptic compartments320,322,347. The mammalian cytoplasmic lncRNA _NORAD_, which is induced by DNA damage and required for genome stability,

prevents aberrant mitosis by sequestering Pumilio proteins (which bind many RNAs to regulate stem cell fate, development and neurological functions) into PSDs through its repeat

sequences137,348. It has been proposed that RNAs have a central role in organizing the genome and gene expression by the formation of spatial compartments and transcriptional

condensates349,350,351,352,353. Phase separation appears to drive chromatin long-range interactions and to be required for the action of enhancers and super-enhancers328,351,354,355,356,357

as well as for transcription, transcription factors and polyadenylation complexes342,358,359,360,361, although transcription factor hubs have been reported to operate in the absence of

detectable phase separation362. PSDs scaffolded by lncRNAs, including repeat-rich RNAs363,364, mediate the formation of heterochromatin353,365,366, euchromatin367, Polycomb bodies368 and

alternative splicing369. lncRNAs are a substantial component of rapidly renaturing, repeat-rich RNA (technically termed ‘CoT-1 RNA’), and high-resolution imaging shows many repeat-containing

RNAs bound to chromatin, indicating that the collective presence of thousands of lncRNAs serves to counter chromatin condensation364. High-resolution imaging also shows the localization of

many lncRNAs in compartments in the nucleus that resemble PSDs136,353. These data all suggest that there are thousands of low copy number lncRNAs involved in the organization of chromosome

territories. LNCRNA STRUCTURE–FUNCTION RELATIONSHIPS lncRNAs generally range in size from around 1 kb to longer than 100 kb (refs. 370,371) and have a modular structure372,373,374,375. They

are often multi-exonic and highly alternatively spliced (Fig. 3a), a feature that was not obvious before the advent of high-depth sequencing98. They also contain a higher proportion of GC–AG

splice sites376 and are therefore less efficiently spliced than protein-coding transcripts377,378, which are properties associated with alternative splicing379. Alternative splicing has,

unsurprisingly, been shown to alter the function of lncRNAs42,152,380,381. Some lncRNAs also exhibit common motifs and motif combinations101. At least 18% of the human genome is conserved

among mammals at the level of predicted RNA structure382, and similar and potentially paralogous RNA structures occur at many places throughout the genome383,384. Chemical probing has shown

that lncRNAs, including _Xist_, form complex multidomain structures108,385,386,387,388,389, with chemical data matching data predicted by evolutionary conservation of secondary structure389.

Moreover, lncRNAs with similar _k_-base oligonucleotide (short motif) content have related functions despite their lack of general homology, implying that small sequence elements are also

key determinants of lncRNA function390. Many lncRNA exons are derived from transposable elements187,391. The most highly conserved sequences in _Xist_, which has been intensively studied,

are its repeats7, whereas its unique sequences have evolved rapidly392, and many of its biological functions, including recruitment of gene-repressive complexes and gene silencing, are

mediated through its modular repeat elements142,186,388,393,394,395,396,397,398,399. Transposable element-derived sequences participate in many RNA–protein interactions369,400,401, which

leads to the conclusion that repeat structures are common building blocks of lncRNAs87,391,396 and essential components of their function391. The molecular mechanisms of lncRNA action are

unclear. In most well-characterized cases of RNA regulation, such as RNAi, snoRNAs, CRISPR and telomerase, RNA acts as a guide to target effector protein complexes to complementary RNA or

DNA sequences. Data on selected lncRNAs (for example, _HOTAIR_, _roX1_, _roX2_, _Meg3_, _Tug1_, _PARTICLE_ (also known as _PARTCL_), _PAPAS_ and _KHPS1_) indicates that they form triplex

structures with DNA at purine-rich GA stretches to recruit chromatin modifiers to specific loci across the genome402,403,404,405,406,407,408, with evidence that triplex formation by lncRNAs

is a widespread phenomenon409,410,411. Others, especially antisense lncRNAs, appear to function through RNA–DNA hybrid formation61,412,413, but detail is presently lacking. lncRNA RNP

structure and function have been well characterized in only one instance, the telomerase complex, which has been studied for decades. Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) catalyses the

addition of telomere repeats to chromosome ends, and other proteins in the complex provide nuclear localization, stability or recruitment to telomeres or to Cajal bodies. The lncRNA _TERC_

provides the scaffold for assembly of the RNP and the template for DNA polymerization by TERT, and mutations in TERT and _TERC_ are major contributors to the aetiology of cancer and the

cause of hereditary disorders such as dyskeratosis congenita103,104,105,106,107,414,415,416. By contrast, while we know the phenotypes caused by the loss of some lncRNAs, we know almost

nothing about how most of them work, although, considering that as recently as 2010 the very existence of pervasive transcription was still a matter of contention417,418,419 and the sheer

number of lncRNAs, substantial progress has been made. It is assumed, in our view reasonably, that generally lncRNAs will engage in multilateral interactions similarly to _TERC_ and the

telomerase complex108, and there is some evidence to support this assumption in cases such as _XIST_ (Fig. 3b), but the assumption has not yet been rigorously tested. There are promising

discoveries, such as the demonstration that conserved pseudoknots in lncRNA _Meg3_ are essential for stimulation of the p53 pathway420. There is also growing evidence of discrete structural

organization in lncRNAs421. Nonetheless, there is a long journey ahead to understand the structure and function of the many thousands of lncRNAs, and their splice variants, in the context of

their associated RNP complexes and biomolecular condensates in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. CHALLENGES If the complex ontogenies of animals and, to a lesser extent plants, require a

large number of RNAs to guide the epigenetic decisions at each cell division, then it is not surprising that many lncRNAs have common protein-binding modules and specific targeting sequences

that vary between different stages of development. The challenge is to define which lncRNAs and modules within them interact with effector proteins and which convey target (DNA or RNA)

specificity. The former is complicated by the multisubunit nature of many RNP complexes, but is being addressed by technologies such as iCLIP422, RAP–MS423, ChIRP-MS388 and iDRiP424.

Determining target specificity is even more difficult, as specific targeting requires only short stretches of nucleotide complementarity given the strength of RNA–RNA and RNA–DNA

interactions425, but it may be tackled by new methods that analyse RNA–chromatin and RNA–RNA interactions, such as GRID-seq426, RADICL-seq427, RIC-seq428 and RD-SPRITE353. Other lncRNAs are

localized in cytoplasmic compartments, whose components also need to be characterized. Understanding the roles of lncRNAs and how they function in dynamic assemblies with other

macromolecules will provide a more comprehensive understanding of cell and developmental biology and of gene–environment interactions. Emerging challenges include understanding the roles of

lncRNAs and RNA modifications in functional plasticity, especially in the brain, and the dysregulation of these lncRNA-mediated pathways in neurological disorders, cancer and other diseases.

RECOMMENDATIONS * 1. In the absence of more specific categorization, we recommend retention of the general descriptor ‘lncRNA’ for non-coding RNAs greater than 500 nt in length. * 2. Unless

a lncRNA is antisense to a protein-coding gene (in which case the designation ‘_gene name_-AS’ should be used), we recommend naming lncRNAs for their own sake with allusion to a discerned

characteristic or function (as has been traditional for proteins), preferably accompanied by complete exon–intron structures and genomic coordinates. If no biological context is available,

we recommend naming the lncRNA according to the GENCODE system46. * 3. We recommend that future gene expression profiling should include full transcript analysis of the isoforms and

stoichiometry of mRNAs, lncRNAs and small RNAs in cells at different stages of differentiation, and in various physiological and disease states, learning and stress conditions. * 4. These

efforts should be complemented by cell-based, organoid-based and in vivo studies using strategies for conditional and tissue-specific or cell type-specific gain-of-function and

loss-of-function of lncRNAs. More broadly, identifying and understanding the roles of lncRNAs and RNA regulatory networks in multicellular development, cell biology and disease will require

the following: * 1. The determination of the interplay between lncRNAs, chromatin modifications, proteins and the genome in the assembly of the nuclear domains essential for chromatin

organization, enhancer function, transcription and splicing. This effort will require the development of antibodies with high specificity for protein–RNA complexes, and of intracellular

RNA-tracking methods429. * 2. The determination of lncRNA localization, structure–function relationships and interactions using a range of sequencing, chemical probing, imaging

methods430,431,432,433 and cryogenic electron microscopy434. * 3. The identification and characterization of the many unknown nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments decorated by specific

lncRNAs. * 4. Harnessing the power of machine learning to interrogate large genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and phenomic datasets to identify causal links and pathways.

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references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia John S. Mattick & Marcel E. Dinger * UNSW RNA

Institute, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia John S. Mattick & Marcel E. Dinger * INSPER Institute of Education and Research, São Paulo, Brazil Paulo P. Amaral * RIKEN Center for Integrative

Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan Piero Carninci * Human Technopole, Milan, Italy Piero Carninci * Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa

Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA Susan Carpenter * Center for Personal Dynamics Regulomes, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA Howard Y. Chang * Department of Dermatology,

Stanford, CA, USA Howard Y. Chang * Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA Howard Y. Chang * Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University

School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA Howard Y. Chang * CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,

Shanghai, China Ling-Ling Chen * Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Runsheng Chen *

John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK Caroline Dean * Division of Innate Immunity, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

Katherine A. Fitzgerald * Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbour, NY, USA Thomas R. Gingeras & David L. Spector * Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California

Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA Mitchell Guttman * Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan Tetsuro Hirose * Department of Gene Therapy and

Regulation of Gene Expression, Center for Applied Medical Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain Maite Huarte * Institute of Health Research of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain Maite

Huarte * School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Rory Johnson * Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College

Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Rory Johnson * Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Chandrasekhar Kanduri * Institute of Genomics, School of Medicine, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China Philipp Kapranov * Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical

School, Worcester, MA, USA Jeanne B. Lawrence * Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Jeannie T. Lee * Department of

Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Jeannie T. Lee * Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA Joshua T. Mendell * Department of

Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA Joshua T. Mendell * Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD,

Australia Timothy R. Mercer * Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA Kathryn J. Moore * RNA Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical

Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan Shinichi Nakagawa * Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA John L. Rinn * BioFrontiers Institute,

University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA John L. Rinn * Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA John L. Rinn * Department of Biological

Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Igor Ulitsky * Laboratory of RNA Genomics and Structure, Genome Institute of Singapore, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore Yue Wan *

Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore Yue Wan * Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Therapeutic Innovation

Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA Jeremy E. Wilusz * Translational Research Institute, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Academy of Medical Science, Zhengzhou

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GLOSSARY * Cajal bodies Nuclear structures often associated with the nucleolus that have important roles in RNA metabolism and the formation of ribonucleoproteins involved in transcription,

splicing, ribosome biogenesis and telomere maintenance. * Coacervates Condensed liquid-like droplets formed by oppositely charged macromolecules, in vivo involving the interaction of

positively charged amino acids in the intrinsically disordered regions of proteins with the negatively charged backbone of RNAs. * GC–AG splice sites A non-canonical variant of the major

U2-type GT–AG splice junctions. * Intrinsically disordered region A polypeptide segment containing a high proportion of polar or charged residues and insufficient hydrophobic residues to

form a stable tertiary structure. * Modified RNA mimics Chemically synthesized RNA molecules containing chemical modifications to increase their stability or target affinity, facilitate

their action and/or bypass detection by innate immunity. * Nuclear speckles Irregularly shaped nuclear domains enriched in pre-mRNA splicing factors, located in the interchromatin regions of

the nucleoplasm of mammalian cells. * Pol V transcripts Short RNAs transcribed by a specialized plant-specific RNA polymerase (Pol) which maintain the repression of transposons and genomic

repeats. * Polycomb bodies Nuclear foci of Polycomb group proteins, within which Polycomb group protein-bound regions of DNA are localized and contact each other. * Pioneer transcription

factors Proteins that have the unique ability to bind target sites in closed chromatin and open closed chromatin to activate gene expression and implement new cell fates. * Primary

transcription units The long precursor RNAs transcribed from chromosomal regions (‘genes’) before splicing and assembly of the exons into an mRNA or long non-coding RNA and before processing

of the intronic RNAs into _trans_-acting smaller RNAs. * Quantitative traits Phenotypic characteristics that vary continuously in natural populations, including many aspects of morphology,

physiology, behaviour and disease susceptibility. * Small interspersed nuclear elements Repetitive non-coding sequences of 100–600 bp that are common in animal and plant genomes. They are

derived from retrotransposons and are propagated through an RNA intermediate * Super-enhancers Enhancer-dense genomic regions found near genes that have key roles in determining cellular

identity. * Transcription factor hubs Complex topological assemblies, in which multiple genes and regulatory factors interact with each other. * X inactivation centre A complex locus in the

X chromosome that is required for the near-global inactivation of one of the two X chromosomes in female mammals, a spreading process initiated by the expression of _XIST_. RIGHTS AND

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ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Mattick, J.S., Amaral, P.P., Carninci, P. _et al._ Long non-coding RNAs: definitions, functions, challenges and recommendations. _Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol_ 24,

430–447 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-022-00566-8 Download citation * Accepted: 16 November 2022 * Published: 03 January 2023 * Issue Date: June 2023 * DOI:

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