In the 50 years since RNA was identified as a central component in the flow of genetic information, it has become increasingly clear that RNA performs many additional diverse and interesting functions. Regulatory RNAs are known to play central roles across numerous biological processes required for cell viability and function. Moreover, prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes are pervasively transcribed to generate many additional RNAs with unknown functions, raising the question: What else does RNA do?

Aims

This symposium will explore the diverse, dynamic and multifaceted roles of RNA across a spectrum of cellular processes. It will provide an interdisciplinary discussion of the roles of non-coding RNAs in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, with the aim of enhancing our understanding of gene regulation and function.

Topics

• Non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes
• miRNAs: biogenesis, function and mechanisms
• siRNAs and piRNAs
• Transcriptional silencing and dosage compensation
• Gene silencing in plants
• Long non-coding RNAs