Pathological Bases and Clinical Application of Long Noncoding RNAs in Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

Increasing evidence has suggested that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have vital roles in cardiovascular tissue homeostasis and diseases. As a main subgroup of ncRNAs, long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play important roles in lipid metabolism, inflammation, vascular injury, and angiogenesis. They have also been implicated in many human diseases including atherosclerosis, arterial remodeling, hypertension, myocardial injury, cardiac remodeling, and heart failure. Importantly, it was reported that lncRNAs were dysregulated in the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). A variety of studies have demonstrated that lncRNAs could influence gene expression at transcription, post-transcription, translation, and post-translation level. Particularly, emerging evidence has confirmed that the crosstalk among lncRNAs, mRNA, and miRNAs is an important underlying regulatory mechanism of lncRNAs. Nevertheless, the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in CVDs have not been fully explored yet. In this review, we will comprehensively summarize the main findings about lncRNAs and CVDs, highlighting the most recent discoveries in the field of lncRNAs and their pathophysiological functions in CVDs, with the aim of dissecting the intrinsic association between lncRNAs and common risk factors of CVDs including hypertension, high glucose, and high fat. Finally, the potential of lncRNAs functioning as the biomarkers, therapeutic targets, as well as specific diagnostic and prognostic indicators of CVDs will be discussed in this review.

FIMICS: A panel of long noncoding RNAs for cardiovascular conditions

“…3 ). These clustering data showing potential associations of the identified lncRNAs with already known pathways related to heart failure [ 33 , 34 ] support the usefulness of the FIMICS panel as a novel research tool.…”

Long Non-Coding RNA Regulation of Epigenetics in Vascular Cells

“…Cytoplasmic localisation, however, allows for lncRNA modulation of mRNA stability and translation, microRNA activity, protein turnover, and signal transduction pathways through acting as cytosolic scaffolds, degradation tags, sponges, and molecular decoysultimately mediating physiological and pathological vascular processes, including angiogenesis and atherosclerosis in diseases such as hypertension, retinopathy, and malignancy [36,37]. MEG3, for example, has been observed to translocate to the cytoplasm upon hypoxia in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), subsequently sequestering and inducing the degradation of microRNA miR-328.…”

LncRNA HIF1A-AS1 Regulates the Cellular Function of HUVECs by Globally Regulating mRNA and miRNA Expression

“…In recent years, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), mainly circular RNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), and long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), have been widely investigated [4]. LncRNA is widely expressed and plays an essential role in numerous life activities such as regulation of the cell cycle and cell differentiation.…”