RNA at a Breaking Point? Cytoplasmic Cleavage and other Post-Transcriptional RNA Processing in Neurodevelopment and Disease

The nervous system is a unique organ composed of thousands of different cell types that require appropriate integration of developmental steps and mature functions to harmonically respond to environmental and internal stimuli. The timely and coordinated orchestration of disparate gene expression programs is essential to achieve this feat. Historically, much attention has been focused on how changes in gene expression result in modifications of the cellular proteome through alterations in mRNA levels. However, pervasive transcription of the genome generates several other classes of RNA, mostly with non-coding functions. These RNAs, although not directly contributing to the cellular proteome, play crucial roles in various biological activities ranging from cell survival to specialized functions like target innervation. Such RNA species, that include but are not limited to tRNA, lncRNA, miRNA and circRNA, are often subjected to modifications and processing that expand the range of their biological effects. On the other hand, mRNAs or their UTRs can be bestowed with alternative functions that are independent of the coding potential of the transcript and have been shown to modulate protein-protein interactions and intracellular signalling. For the implementation of these alternative functions by non-coding and messenger RNAs, nuclear and cytoplasmic processing by cleavage is often a prerequisite.

In this Research Topic we would like to showcase examples of non-canonical functions of coding and non-coding RNA triggered by cleavage and other post-transcriptional processing events in any cellular system, but with particular emphasis on brain development and neurological conditions. We welcome studies that investigate these novel roles for RNA at all levels, from the molecular mechanisms that underlie their origin to the patho-physiological consequences of their activities. We encourage focusing on the following points, but we are interested in all topics encompassing these aspects of non-coding RNA and mRNA biology:

• Post-transcriptional cleavage as RNA biogenesis mechanism

• Novel types and roles of non-coding RNA

• Roles for non-coding RNA in mRNA localization, interaction with RNA-binding proteins and with the translation machinery

• Non-coding RNA-mRNA networks important for neuronal development and activity

• Alternative UTRs, alternative polyadenylation and bi-functional RNAs

• Methodology tools for the identification of RNA processing and for the study of the physical and functional interactions between non-coding and messenger RNAs

We welcome researchers interested in these aspects of neuronal biology to contribute with Original Research, Review and Mini-Review, Methods, Hypothesis/Theory, Opinions, and Commentaries articles. We aim to provide an overview of the acquired knowledge in these areas of research and an outlook with the latest advances on this topic.