SUMMARY Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently emerged as key players in fundamental cellular processes and diseases, but their functions are poorly understood. HOTAIR is a 2,148-nucleotide-long lncRNA molecule involved in physiological epidermal development and in pathogenic cancer progression, where it has been demonstrated to repress tumor and metastasis suppressor genes. To gain insights into the molecular mechanisms of HOTAIR, we purified it in a stable and homogenous form in vitro and we determined its functional secondary structure through chemical probing and phylogenetic analysis. The HOTAIR structure reveals a degree of structural organization comparable to well-folded RNAs, like the group II intron, rRNA or lncRNA steroid receptor activator. It is composed of four independently-folding modules, two of which correspond to predicted protein-binding domains. Secondary structure elements that surround protein-binding motifs are evolutionarily conserved. Our work serves as a guide for “navigating” through the lncRNA HOTAIR and ultimately for understanding its function.

Highlights d LncRNA MEG3 is a tumor suppressor that stimulates the p53 pathway d The p53-stimulating core of MEG3 comprises of two conserved, structured domains d Two distal motifs in the MEG3 core form pseudoknot interactions (''kissing loops'') d Mutations in these pseudoknots disrupt MEG3 architecture and impair its function

LincRNA-p21 is a long intergenic non-coding RNA (lincRNA) involved in the p53-mediated stress response. We sequenced the human lincRNA-p21 (hLincRNA-p21) and found that it has a single exon that includes inverted repeat Alu elements (IRAlus). Sense and antisense Alu elements fold independently of one another into a secondary structure that is conserved in lincRNA-p21 among primates. Moreover, the structures formed by IRAlus are involved in the localization of hLincRNA-p21 in the nucleus, where hLincRNA-p21 colocalizes with paraspeckles. Our results underscore the importance of IRAlus structures for the function of hLincRNA-p21 during the stress response.