Long non-coding RNAs in innate and adaptive immunity

Long noncoding RNAs (IncRNAs) represent a newly discovered class of regulatory molecules that impact a variety of biological processes in cells and organ systems. In humans, it is estimated that there may be more than twice as many IncRNA genes than protein-coding genes. However, only a handful of IncRNAs have been analyzed in detail. In this review, we describe expression and functions of IncRNAs that have been demonstrated to impact innate and adaptive immunity. These emerging paradigms illustrate remarkably diverse mechanisms that IncRNAs utilize to impact the transcriptional programs of immune cells required to fight against pathogens and maintain normal health and homeostasis. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.