Section of Nephrology, Division of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Nephron. 2021;145(4):404-414. doi: 10.1159/000515422. Epub 2021 Apr 14.
Recent advances in large-scale RNA sequencing and genome-wide profiling projects have unraveled a heterogeneous group of RNAs, collectively known as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which play central roles in many diverse biological processes. Importantly, an association between aberrant expression of lncRNAs and diverse human pathologies has been reported, including in a variety of kidney diseases. These observations have raised the possibility that lncRNAs may represent unexploited potential therapeutic targets for kidney diseases. Several important questions regarding the functionality of lncRNAs and their impact in kidney diseases, however, remain to be carefully addressed. Here, we provide an overview of the main functions and mechanisms of actions of lncRNAs, and their promise as therapeutic targets in kidney diseases, emphasizing on the role of some of the best-characterized lncRNAs implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetic nephropathy.
近年来,大规模 RNA 测序和全基因组分析项目的进展揭示了一组异质的 RNA,统称为长非编码 RNA(lncRNA),它们在许多不同的生物学过程中发挥着核心作用。重要的是,已经报道了 lncRNA 表达异常与多种人类病理之间的关联,包括各种肾脏疾病。这些观察结果提出了这样一种可能性,即 lncRNA 可能代表着尚未开发的肾脏疾病潜在治疗靶点。然而,关于 lncRNA 的功能及其在肾脏疾病中的影响,仍有一些重要问题需要仔细解决。在这里,我们提供了 lncRNA 的主要功能和作用机制的概述,并强调了一些在糖尿病肾病发病机制和进展中涉及的、特征最明确的 lncRNA 作为治疗靶点的潜力。