Antisense RNA

This figure demonstrates an antisense RNA is complementary to its sense transcript.
AsRNA is transcribed from the lagging strand of a gene and is complementary to a specific mRNA or sense transcript. 

Antisense RNA (asRNA), also referred to as antisense transcript,[1] natural antisense transcript (NAT)[2][3][4] or antisense oligonucleotide,[5] is a single stranded RNA that is complementary to a protein coding messenger RNA (mRNA) with which it hybridizes, and thereby blocks its translation into protein. The asRNAs (which occur naturally) have been found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes,[1] and can be classified into short (<200 nucleotides) and long (>200 nucleotides) non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs).[4] The primary function of asRNA is regulating gene expression. asRNAs may also be produced synthetically and have found wide spread use as research tools for gene knockdown. They may also have therapeutic applications.[6][1][4]

  1. ^ a b c Pelechano V, Steinmetz LM (December 2013). "Gene regulation by antisense transcription". Nature Reviews. Genetics. 14 (12): 880–893. doi:10.1038/nrg3594. PMID 24217315. S2CID 2152962.
  2. ^ Saberi F, Kamali M, Najafi A, Yazdanparast A, Moghaddam MM (2016-07-28). "Natural antisense RNAs as mRNA regulatory elements in bacteria: a review on function and applications". Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters. 21: 6. doi:10.1186/s11658-016-0007-z. PMC 5415839. PMID 28536609.
  3. ^ Magistri M, Faghihi MA, St Laurent G, Wahlestedt C (August 2012). "Regulation of chromatin structure by long noncoding RNAs: focus on natural antisense transcripts". Trends in Genetics. 28 (8): 389–396. doi:10.1016/j.tig.2012.03.013. PMC 3768148. PMID 22541732.
  4. ^ a b c Wahlestedt C (June 2013). "Targeting long non-coding RNA to therapeutically upregulate gene expression". Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery. 12 (6): 433–446. doi:10.1038/nrd4018. PMID 23722346. S2CID 288163.
  5. ^ Kole R, Krainer AR, Altman S (January 2012). "RNA therapeutics: beyond RNA interference and antisense oligonucleotides". Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery. 11 (2): 125–140. doi:10.1038/nrd3625. PMC 4743652. PMID 22262036.
  6. ^ Weiss B, Davidkova G, Zhou LW (March 1999). "Antisense RNA gene therapy for studying and modulating biological processes". Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 55 (3): 334–358. doi:10.1007/s000180050296. PMC 11146801. PMID 10228554. S2CID 9448271.