Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have significant regulatory functions on the regulation of gene expression of various life activities after transcription, even though they do not encode proteins. During the development of embryos, ncRNAs, such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), have been widely proven as key regulators. The emerging single-cell RNA sequencing technique is powerful for profiling "cell-to-cell" variability at the genomic level. It has been applied to detect the expression of ncRNAs during embryo development. In this chapter, we pay close attention to single-cell ncRNA expression and summarize their roles in embryo development.
Keywords: Embryo; Non-coding RNA; Single-Cell.