Long Non-Coding RNAs in Insects

Simple Summary Long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts of more than 200 nucleotides, which lack protein-coding potential. LncRNAs have been well characterized in many organisms, but their functions in insects have not been well deciphered. Advancement of high-throughput technologies has enabled the sequencing of genomes and transcriptomes of several insects, which has led to the identification of many important lncRNAs in insects. Characterization of lncRNAs and their regulatory roles in insects may provide insights of novel pest control strategies. Through this comprehensive review, we present an overview of insect lncRNAs, their identification as well as their function in insects of different orders. Toward the end of the review, we highlight the role of lncRNAs in insect developmental processes and discuss the future prospects of lncRNAs in insects. Only a small subset of all the transcribed RNAs are used as a template for protein translation, whereas RNA molecules that are not translated play a very important role as regulatory non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Besides traditionally known RNAs (ribosomal and transfer RNAs), ncRNAs also include small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). The lncRNAs, which were initially thought to be junk, have gained a great deal attention because of their regulatory roles in diverse biological processes in animals and plants. Insects are the most abundant and diverse group of animals on this planet. Recent studies have demonstrated the role of lncRNAs in almost all aspects of insect development, reproduction, and genetic plasticity. In this review, we describe the function and molecular mechanisms of the mode of action of different insect lncRNAs discovered up to date.