2016 Big Data Forum for Life and Health Sciences

The discovery of the pivotal roles of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) on gene expression and genome maintenance represents one of the most significant revolution of the last decades in life science research. Some ncRNA classes, such as ribosomal RNAs and transfer RNAs, have been known for a very long time, others, such as micro RNAs (miRNAs), Piwi interacting RNAs (piRNAs), and long non-coding RNAs (lnRNAs) were discovered in more recent years. However, the discovery of the great diversity and magnitude of this family of regulators is a recent achievement. Indeed, it is only in the last decade that, thanks to the advent of next generation sequencing technologies, large-scale sequencing studies have allowed scientists to systematically analyse ncRNAs for their real size and functional activities. These studies have identified a surprisingly large number of new and diverse ncRNA genes that are emerging to be central to many aspects of plant and animal gene regulation. Domenica D'Elia will expose some of the most relevant and recent results in this fascinating research domain, highlighting her research and recent achievements.