The research strategies for probing the function of long noncoding RNAs

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent a new frontier in molecular genetics and molecular biology. They have a tremendous potential for advancing our comprehensive understanding of biological processes in huma n health and disease. The transcripts of lncRNAs are easy to find, but sorting out what they do remains the biggest challenge in lncRNAs' research field. In the paper, we highlight recent progress regarding the methods to explore the roles of lncRNAs.

► Microarrays and RNA-Seq are high-throughput methods to detect lncRNAs' expression.
► Basic molecular biology techniques can assist us in probing the role of lncRNAs.
► Bioinformatic methods are able to predict the function of lncRNAs.