[Overlapping genes and antisense transcription in eukaryotes]

Abstract

Numerous studies showed that overlapping genes are fairly common elements of genome organization, not only in viruses and prokaryotes but also in eukaryotes. At the same time, the regulatory mechanisms of overlapping gene expression, as well as the functional relevance of antisense transcription, are still relatively unknown. This review describes the history of the discovery of regulatory antisense RNAs, the types of gene overlap, and the putative mechanisms of their functioning. In conclusion, the critical views of different authors on the problem of detecting overlapping genes and an evaluation of the level of antisense transcription are presented.