Elucidating role of long non-coding RNAs of Tamarindus indica Linn. in post-transcriptional gene regulation.

Abstract

Tamarindus indica, commonly known as tamarind, is a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and different bioactive compounds. It is well established that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important role in transcriptional, post-transcriptional and epigenetic regulation. In spite of the tamarind genome information available, handful of studies have been done on its non-coding genome. In this study, 320 tamarind lncRNAs have been predicted by computational methods. Along with the experimental validation of seven randomly chosen lncRNAs, functional analysis of the predicted lncRNAs along with their targets elucidated their roles in various biological pathways. Sequence analysis of these predicted lncRNAs reveals the presence of different motifs and TRs. Our analysis provides information about the non-coding genome of tamarind and their involvement in gene regulation, which may be used to gain more knowledge about the medicinal properties of tamarind.