Researchers at the John Innes Centre are investigating on the function of
non-coding RNA particularly its role in expression of genes involved in
flowering time. According to Prof. Caroline Dean, the study started when
more long non-coding RNA are being detected in many genomes. However, their
biological role remains a mystery. Thus, they started studying the control
of expression of Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) gene. This control
relies on a set of long non-coding antisense transcripts from FLC,
collectively referred to as COOLAIR. As FLC levels correlate with a delay in
flowering, the researchers seek to explain how flowering can be controlled
by the splicing of a long non-coding RNA.

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