Roles of long non-coding RNAs in plant virus interactions

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) belong to the regulatory class of non-coding RNAs, usually non-protein-coding with more than 200-nucleotide long transcripts. These lncRNAs mediate diverse processes and functions in animals and plants. Recently the roles of lncRNAs have been elucidated in eukaryotic transcription, regulation of mRNA, activation/inactivation of neighboring genes, cellular differentiation, and development. In addition, lncRNAs are also involved in regulating biotic and abiotic stresses. The involvement of high throughput sequencing technologies and gene expression profiling are being used to identify and characterize the long non-coding RNAs. Plants encounter different kinds of stresses (biotic and abiotic), which negatively impact plant growth and productivity. Out of these, biotic stress due to viruses is the most devastating and affects crop productivity worldwide. So far, scant efforts have been made for the identification and annotation of lncRNAs in response to biotic stress, particularly during virus infection. Therefore, more emphasis needs to be given to unravel the genomic location and functional relevance of lncRNAs in host-virus interactions to develop new approaches for protecting plants against invading viruses. This review highlights the discovery, biogenesis, and roles of lncRNAs in regulating plant-virus pathogenesis.