While a model of lincRNAs acting as ‘flexible scaffolds’ is attractive, it is far from proven. Testing the hypothesis for lincRNAs will require systematic studies, including defining all protein-complexes with which lincRNAs interact, determining where these protein interactions assemble on RNA, and ascertaining whether they bind simultaneously or alternatively. Moreover, understanding how lincRNA-protein interactions give rise to specific patterns of gene expression will require determination of the functional contribution of each interaction and possible localization of the complex to its genomic targets.
