lncRNAs: Role in Regulation of Gene Expression

Abstract

The long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a subclass of ncRNA which is more than 200 nucleotides long and processed similar to mRNA by RNA polymerase II with very few differences between them. In the last two decades, it has become a hot topic of research as it has been found differentially expressed in disease versus normal conditions including cancers. They regulate many biological functions including regulation of gene expression and epigenetic control. lncRNAs can control gene expression at the transcriptional level, and post-transcriptional level. Also, they can play a structural role to function as scaffolds for protein complexes. They interact with DNA, RNA, and proteins. They have been shown to possess competitive binding sites for miRNAs, which makes them a master regulator of gene expression by masking miRNAs and altering many biological functions. They are found to be associated with many cellular functions including cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. The lncRNAs can be utilized as biomarkers and can be targeted for personalized therapy.