Long non‐coding RNA s in corticogenesis: deciphering the non‐coding code of the brain

Abstract Evidence on the role of long non‐coding (lnc) RNA s has been accumulating over decades, but it has been only recently that advances in sequencing technologies have allowed the field to fully appreciate their abundance and diversity. Despite this, only a handful of lnc RNA s have been phenotypically or mechanistically studied. Moreover, novel lnc RNA s and new classes of RNA s are being discovered at growing pace, suggesting that this class of molecules may have functions as diverse as protein‐coding genes. Interestingly, the brain is the organ where lnc RNA s have the most peculiar features including the highest number of lnc RNA s that are expressed, proportion of tissue‐specific lnc RNA s and highest signals of evolutionary conservation. In this work, we critically review the current knowledge about the steps that have led to the identification of the non‐coding transcriptome including the general features of lnc RNA s in different contexts in terms of both their genomic organisation, evolutionary origin, patterns of expression, and function in the developing and adult mammalian brain.