Differentiating protein-coding and noncoding RNA: challenges and ambiguities

• Published in: PLoS computational biology Vol. 4; no. 11; p. e1000176
• Main Authors: Dinger, Marcel E, Pang, Ken C, Mercer, Tim R, Mattick, John S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.11.2008; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Computational Biology - methods; Gene Expression Profiling; Genetic transcription; Genomes; Genomics - methods; Glucose; Open Reading Frames; Physiological aspects; Properties; Proteins; Review; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA, Messenger - chemistry; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Untranslated - chemistry; RNA, Untranslated - genetics; Transcription, Genetic; Australia; Genomics; Open Reading Frames; RNA, Untranslated; Computational Biology; Transcription, Genetic; Gene Expression Profiling; RNA, Messenger

The assumption that RNA can be readily classified into either protein-coding or non-protein-coding categories has pervaded biology for close to 50 years. Until recently, discrimination between these two categories was relatively straightforward: most transcripts were clearly identifiable as protein-...