LncRNAs and immunity: watchdogs for host pathogen interactions

Abstract

Immune responses combat various infectious agents by inducing inflammatory responses, antimicrobial pathways and adaptive immunity. The polygenic responses to these external stimuli are temporally and coordinately regulated. Specific lncRNAs are induced to modulate innate and adaptive immune responses which can function through various target interactions like RNA-DNA, RNA-RNA, and RNA-protein interaction and hence affect the immunogenic regulation at various stages of gene expression. LncRNA are found to be present in various immune cells like monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, T cells and B cells. They have been shown to be involved in many biological processes, including the regulation of the expression of genes, the dosage compensation and genomics imprinting, but the knowledge how lncRNAs are regulated and how they alter cell differentiation/function is still obscure. Further dysregulation of lncRNA has been seen in many diseases, but as yet very less research has been carried out to understand the role of lncRNAs in regulation during host-pathogens interactions. In this review, we summarize the functional developments and mechanism of action of lncRNAs, in immunity and defense of host against pathogens.

Transcriptome responses of intestinal epithelial cells induced by membrane vesicles of Listeria monocytogenes unveil novel insights into the host-pathogen cross talk

“…Our findings suggest that MVs not only appears to interfere with cellular functions but promoting changes in several transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulatory elements that may extensively impact host cell functions during the later stage of infection. One such example is the differential expression of several non-coding RNAs, which have regulatory roles in physiological and pathological responses (55). Down-regulation of several ncRNAs upon infection with MVs also raise interesting questions on the role of this class of RNAs in L. monocytogenes infection.…”

Expression of Long Non-Coding RNAs by Human Retinal Müller Glial Cells Infected with Clonal and Exotic Virulent Toxoplasma gondii

“…According to cellular localization, and secondary and tertiary structures, lncRNAs may bind DNA, RNA, and protein to influence molecular functions in cis or trans [28,29]. As regulators of gene expression, lncRNAs participate in a wide range of biological processes [30,31], acting in multiple overlapping molecular roles, including as signalers, enhancers, scaffolds, decoys, and guides [32]. Dysregulation of lncRNAs has been connected to a variety of pathologies, such as cancers, immune and infectious diseases, neurological conditions, and genetic disorders [30,33].…”

Elucidating the Role of Host Long Non-Coding RNA during Viral Infection: Challenges and Paths Forward

“…In Table 1 , we list several better characterized lncRNAs that are associated with commonly studied viruses, including influenza and herpes. Recent reviews by Ding et al [ 23 ], Mumtaz et al [ 6 ], Valadkhan et al [ 7 ], and Liu et al [ 8 ] highlight many of the extensively annotated host- and virally-encoded lncRNAs.…”

“…We and others have documented the association of lncRNAs in viral infections and innate immunity [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. The functions of numerous lncRNAs in host immune responses have also been extensively reviewed [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. However, most lncRNAs, including those associated with viral infections, still lack detailed functional characterization.…”