Small nucleolar RNAs: continuing identification of novel members and increasing diversity of their molecular mechanisms of action

Abstract

Identified five decades ago amongst the most abundant cellular RNAs, small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) were initially described as serving as guides for the methylation and pseudouridylation of ribosomal RNA through direct base pairing. In recent years, however, increasingly powerful high-throughput genomic approaches and strategies have led to the discovery of many new members of the family and surprising diversity in snoRNA functionality and mechanisms of action. SnoRNAs are now known to target RNAs of many biotypes for a wider range of modifications, interact with diverse binding partners, compete with other binders for functional interactions, recruit diverse players to targets and affect protein function and accessibility through direct interaction. This mini-review presents the continuing characterization of the snoRNome through the identification of new snoRNA members and the discovery of their mechanisms of action, revealing a highly versatile noncoding family playing central regulatory roles and connecting the main cellular processes.

Keywords: RNA modification; RNA–RNA binding; RNA–protein binding; gene annotation; gene expression regulation; snoRNAs.