We are excited to share our research published in The Plant Journal, titled «Large-Scale Identification and Characterization of lncRNAs in Cucurbitaceae Species» (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.17013).
Our study identifies over 91,000 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) from more than 1000 RNA-seq samples across nine Cucurbitaceae species. Key findings include:
- lncRNAs show greater specificity for tissue, developmental stages, and stress responses than protein-coding genes.
- They exhibit more positional than sequence conservation, likely due to conserved motifs.
- Correlations between intergenic lncRNAs and nearby genes suggest short-range regulatory effects.
This lncRNA inventory will support future research on regulatory mechanisms in cucurbits, enhancing crop improvement efforts.