Department of Cellular and Genetic Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China.
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital to Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, China.
J Gene Med. 2021 Mar;23(3):e3318. doi: 10.1002/jgm.3318. Epub 2021 Feb 11.
Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by progressive and irreversible scarring in the lungs with poor prognosis and treatment. It is caused by various factors, including environmental and occupational exposures, and some rheumatic immune diseases. Even the rapid global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic can also cause pulmonary fibrosis with a high probability. Functions attributed to long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) make them highly attractive diagnostic and therapeutic targets in fibroproliferative diseases. Therefore, an understanding of the specific mechanisms by which lncRNAs regulate pulmonary fibrotic pathogenesis is urgently needed to identify new possibilities for therapy. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanisms and implications of lncRNAs targeted protein-coding and non-coding genes during pulmonary fibrogenesis, and systematically analyze the communication of lncRNAs with various types of RNAs, including microRNA, circular RNA and mRNA. Finally, we propose the potential approach of lncRNA-based diagnosis and therapy for pulmonary fibrosis. We hope that understanding these interactions between protein-coding and non-coding genes will contribute to the development of lncRNA-based clinical applications for pulmonary fibrosis.
肺纤维化的特征是肺部进行性和不可逆转的瘢痕形成，预后和治疗效果差。它由多种因素引起，包括环境和职业暴露，以及一些风湿免疫性疾病。甚至 COVID-19 大流行的迅速全球传播也可能导致肺纤维化的高概率发生。长链非编码 RNA（lncRNA）的功能使其成为纤维增生性疾病中极具吸引力的诊断和治疗靶点。因此，迫切需要了解 lncRNA 调节肺纤维化发病机制的具体机制，以确定新的治疗可能性。在这篇综述中，我们重点关注 lncRNA 在肺纤维化发生过程中靶向蛋白编码和非编码基因的分子机制和意义，并系统分析 lncRNA 与各种类型 RNA（包括 microRNA、circRNA 和 mRNA）之间的交流。最后，我们提出了基于 lncRNA 的肺纤维化诊断和治疗的潜在方法。我们希望理解这些蛋白编码和非编码基因之间的相互作用将有助于开发基于 lncRNA 的肺纤维化临床应用。
