The Roles of the Long Non-Coding RNA Transcripts in Cardiovascular Diseases

For many years, proteins have been known be the major regulators in biological processes such as transcription and translation. However, in recent years, with the advent of high-throughput sequencing technology, a high-resolution map of the human transcriptome was made and a large number of non-protein coding RNA genes were discovered. Non-protein coding RNA genes (ncRNAs) are classified according to their size. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a group of ncRNAs that are >200 nucleotides long. LncRNAs are involved in many biological processes. Expression levels of and genetic variations in lncRNAs contribute to in vivo and in vitro pathophysiological processes and have been associated with many diseases. In recent years, numerous lncRNAs, which are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), have been identified. One of the major causes of CVD is atherosclerosis. The molecular processes involved in the formation and progression of atherosclerosis in vascular smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and monocytes/macrophages play an important role in the development of CVD. In the future, a better understanding of the biological functions of lncRNAs with their ever-increasing importance in the formation and development of atherosclerosis will shed light on the development of novel therapeutic approaches for CVD.