Summary of the science
Chromatin is the term referred to genomic DNA when it is attached to proteins called histones. DNA contains sections of coding strands, called genes, and the information on these genes can be translated into duplicate strands called RNA. This encoding information is usually used to produce proteins, which then have an effect on cellular function. However, some genes remain in an intermediate stage (RNA) and never become proteins. These are known as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), but they still have important functions. They can modify which genes are switched on or off by combining with other proteins, which results in changes to chromatin structure. These changes determine which genes can be physically accessed, thus switching them on and off.
About the research
Long noncoding RNAs or lncRNAs are not translated to protein yet have important effects in gene regulation through various mechanisms. They are thought to form large complexes with other proteins that regulate chromatin structure. These ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes can modulate gene expression by enacting changes to chromatin. lncRNAs, therefore, have important regulatory roles.
About the illustration
Here, we tried to emphasise the mechanism of action of long noncoding RNAs (influencing gene expression at the level of histones and affecting chromatin structure). So, a histone is the main focus of the illustration but it is flanked by drawings of chromosomes which are marked by orange spots, showing how this mechanism has effects at a higher-level of organisation, the chromatin.