West Katie A, Lagos Dimitris
York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK.
Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK.
Noncoding RNA. 2019 Jul 12;5(3):43. doi: 10.3390/ncrna5030043.
The non-coding genome has previously been regarded as "junk" DNA; however, emerging evidence suggests that the non-coding genome accounts for some of the greater biological complexity observed in mammals. Research into long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has gathered speed in recent years, and a growing body of evidence has implicated lncRNAs in a vast range of cellular functions including gene regulation, chromosome organisation and splicing. T helper cells offer an ideal platform for the study of lncRNAs given they function as part of a complex cellular network and undergo remarkable and finely regulated gene expression changes upon antigenic stimulation. Using various knock down and RNA interaction studies several lncRNAs have been shown to be crucial for T helper cell differentiation, activation and function. Given that RNA targeting therapeutics are rapidly gaining attention, further understanding the mechanistic role of lncRNAs in a T helper context is an exciting area of research, as it may unearth a wide range of new candidate targets for treatment of CD4 mediated pathologies.
非编码基因组以前被认为是“垃圾”DNA；然而，新出现的证据表明，非编码基因组是哺乳动物中观察到的一些更大生物复杂性的原因。近年来，对长链非编码RNA（lncRNAs）的研究加速进行，越来越多的证据表明lncRNAs参与了广泛的细胞功能，包括基因调控、染色体组织和剪接。辅助性T细胞为lncRNAs的研究提供了一个理想的平台，因为它们作为复杂细胞网络的一部分发挥作用，并且在抗原刺激后会经历显著且精细调控的基因表达变化。通过各种敲低和RNA相互作用研究，已证明几种lncRNAs对辅助性T细胞的分化、激活和功能至关重要。鉴于RNA靶向疗法正迅速受到关注，进一步了解lncRNAs在辅助性T细胞环境中的机制作用是一个令人兴奋的研究领域，因为它可能揭示出治疗CD4介导的疾病的广泛新候选靶点。
