Role of long noncoding RNAs during stress in cereal crops

For the last four decades, the journey of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) biology has been still proceeding with great interest. lncRNAs can exert their functions in diverse biological processes, including development, genomic imprinting, cell differentiation, chromatin remodelling, transcriptional activation, transcriptional interference, regulation of protein re-localization, and cell cycle and can play important roles at transcriptional and posttranscriptional gene regulation. Moreover, emerging evidences indicated that lncRNAs play significant roles in response to biotic and abiotic stress in plants. In this chapter, we discuss the role of lncRNAs in biotic and abiotic stress mechanisms of cereal crops, including wheat, maize, rice, and barley.