The therapeutic role of long non-coding RNAs in human diseases: A focus on the recent insights into autophagy

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a class of non-coding RNA with >= 200 nucleotides in length which are involved as critical regulators in various cellular processes. LncRNAs contribute to the development and progression of many human diseases. Autophagy is a key catabolic process which helps to maintain the cellular homeostasis through the decay of damaged or unwanted proteins and dysfunctional cytoplasmic organelles. The impairment of the autophagy process has been described in numerous diseases. The autophagy possess can have either a protective or a detrimental role in cells depending on its activation status and other cellular conditions. LncRNAs have been shown to have an important function in the regulation of important biological processes such as autophagy. The relationship between lncRNAs and autophagy has been shown to be involved in the progression and possibly in the prevention of many diseases. In this review, recent findings on the regulatory roles of lncRNAs in the cell autophagy pathway, as well as their relevance to different diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cerebral ischemic stroke and cancer are highlighted.