Long noncoding RNA in genome regulation Prospects and mechanisms

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are pervasively transcribed and critical regulators of the epigenome. 1,2 These long, polyadenylated RNAs do not code for proteins, but function directly as RNAs, recruiting chromatin modifiers to mediate transcriptional changes in processes ranging from X-inactivation (XIST) to imprinting (H19). 3 The recent discovery that lncRNA HOTAIR can link chromatin changes to cancer metastasis(4) furthers the relevance of lncRNAs to human disease. Here, we discuss lncRNAs as regulatory modules and explore the implications for disease pathogenesis.