School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lo Kwee-Seong Integrated Biomedical Sciences Building, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Area 39, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2019 Jun;103(12):4649-4677. doi: 10.1007/s00253-019-09837-5. Epub 2019 May 6.
Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is a kind of RNAi molecule composed of hundreds to thousands of nucleotides. There are several major types of functional lncRNAs which participate in some important cellular pathways. LncRNA-RNA interaction controls mRNA translation and degradation or serves as a microRNA (miRNA) sponge for silencing. LncRNA-protein interaction regulates protein activity in transcriptional activation and silencing. LncRNA guide, decoy, and scaffold regulate transcription regulators of enhancer or repressor region of the coding genes for alteration of expression. LncRNA plays a role in cellular responses including the following activities: regulation of chromatin structural modification and gene expression for epigenetic and cell function control, promotion of hematopoiesis and maturation of immunity, cell programming in stem cell and somatic cell development, modulation of pathogen infection, switching glycolysis and lipid metabolism, and initiation of autoimmune diseases. LncRNA, together with miRNA, are considered the critical elements in cancer development. It has been demonstrated that tumorigenesis could be driven by homeostatic imbalance of lncRNA/miRNA/cancer regulatory factors resulting in biochemical and physiological alterations inside the cells. Cancer-driven lncRNAs with other cellular RNAs, epigenetic modulators, or protein effectors may change gene expression level and affect the viability, immortality, and motility of the cells that facilitate cancer cell cycle rearrangement, angiogenesis, proliferation, and metastasis. Molecular medicine will be the future trend for development. LncRNA/miRNA could be one of the potential candidates in this category. Continuous studies in lncRNA functional discrepancy between cancer cells and normal cells and regional and rational genetic differences of lncRNA profiles are critical for clinical research which is beneficial for clinical practice.
长链非编码 RNA（lncRNA）是由数百到数千个核苷酸组成的 RNAi 分子。有几种主要类型的功能 lncRNA 参与一些重要的细胞途径。lncRNA-RNA 相互作用控制 mRNA 的翻译和降解，或作为 miRNA（miRNA）的海绵以沉默。lncRNA-蛋白质相互作用调节转录激活和沉默中的蛋白质活性。lncRNA 向导、诱饵和支架调节编码基因增强子或抑制剂区域的转录调节剂，以改变表达。lncRNA 在细胞反应中发挥作用，包括以下活动：调节染色质结构修饰和基因表达，用于表观遗传和细胞功能控制；促进造血和免疫成熟；干细胞和体细胞发育中的细胞编程；调节病原体感染；切换糖酵解和脂质代谢；启动自身免疫疾病。lncRNA 与 miRNA 一起被认为是癌症发展的关键因素。已经证明，lncRNA/miRNA/癌症调节因子的内稳态失衡可驱动肿瘤发生，导致细胞内生化和生理改变。肿瘤驱动的 lncRNA 与其他细胞 RNA、表观遗传调节剂或蛋白质效应物一起可能改变基因表达水平，并影响细胞的存活、永生和迁移性，从而促进癌细胞周期重排、血管生成、增殖和转移。分子医学将是未来的发展趋势。lncRNA/miRNA 可能是这一类的潜在候选者之一。在癌症细胞和正常细胞之间 lncRNA 功能差异以及 lncRNA 谱的区域和合理遗传差异的持续研究对临床研究至关重要，这有利于临床实践。
