Final answer:
ncRNAs with trans functions such as miRNAs and lncRNAs play crucial roles in gene expression regulation. miRNAs degrade specific mRNA transcripts, while lncRNAs can guide, scaffold, and regulate various molecular processes. CircRNAs also modulate gene expression, potentially impacting neural development and disease.
Step-by-step explanation:
Non-Coding RNAs with Trans Function
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that perform trans functions are crucial in the regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. These include various types of ncRNAs such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). miRNAs are typically involved in targeting endogenous cellular RNAs for degradation, essentially silencing gene expression by destroying the mRNA transcripts that code for specific proteins. On the other hand, lncRNAs may serve as guides, scaffolds, or decoys in a variety of regulatory processes. The function of lncRNAs is diverse, ranging from chromatin remodeling to modulation of mRNA splicing, transport, and translation. Another class of ncRNA, the circular RNAs (circRNAs), is known to influence gene regulation and may be involved in disease processes when their synthesis is faulty.
LncRNAs can originate from various genomic regions such as antisense, intronic, intergenic, pseudogene, and retroposon DNA. Retroposons, a type of transposon, and pseudogenes can give rise to lncRNAs, which despite their non-coding nature, are actively involved in regulating gene expression through a myriad of mechanisms. Though some lncRNAs could be non-functional and degraded by the cell, many have been shown to play significant roles in gene expression regulation.