| Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a kind of RNA widely present in plant genome, which plays a crucial role in various regulatory processes in plants. LncRNA refers to RNA with a nucleotide length greater than 200 nt and has no or almost no protein coding ability. Most plant lncRNAs are transcribed by RNA polymerase Ⅱ and are mainly produced from gene structural variation, gene replication, chromosome recombination, or transposon insertion. There are many types of lncRNA in plants, which can be divided based on their relative positions and forms of functions. The structure of lncRNA is similar to mRNA, which has the cap and poly (A) structure and foldability, but its transcript is longer than mRNA, and has low transcriptional abundance, extremely high expression specificity, and low conservation. The functional mechanisms of lncRNA in horticultural plants are complex, which can play roles in pre-/post- transcription, pre-/post- translation, and epigenetics. It mainly plays a role through cis-/trans-regulating gene transcription, acting as a precursor or endogenous target mimic of miRNA, interacting with transcription factors, modulating mRNA alternative splicing, modulating protein localization, and participating in chromatin remodeling. Horticultural plants are closely related to human life, and its study is an important part of agricultural development. With the continuous development of sequencing technology, research on plant lncRNA has also expanded from model plants such as Arabidopsis to horticultural plants. Different types and quantities of lncRNAs have been identified in horticultural plants and found to be involved in seed germination, reproductive growth, as well as in response to biotic stresses such as diseases and pests, and abiotic stresses such as high temperature, cold, drought, and salt. In this paper, the research progress of lncRNA in horticultural plants in recent years was reviewed, and the generation, characteristics, classification and mechanism of lncRNA were summarized, as well as the identified lncRNAs and their main biological functions in horticultural plants. It also puts forward prospects for future research directions of lncRNA, in order to provide reference and foundation for further research on lncRNA in horticultural plants |
