Aberrantly expressed long non‐coding RNAs in air pollution‐induced congenital defects

Air pollution has been a serious public health issue over the past few decades particularly in developing countries. Air pollution exposure during pregnancy poses potential threat to offspring as the deleterious substances might pass through placenta to alter foetal development. A growing number of studies have demonstrated that long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in the development of many diseases, including congenital defects. Here, we used RNA sequencing to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs in air pollution‐exposed rat embryos compared with control group. Our data suggested that 554 lncRNAs (216 up‐regulated and 338 down‐regulated) were significantly differentially expressed in the air pollution‐exposed embryos. Moreover, potential cellular functions of these deregulated lncRNAs were predicted via KEGG signal pathway/GO enrichment analyses, which suggested the possible involvements of neurological process, sensory perception of smell and the G‐protein signalling pathway. Furthermore, potential functional network of deregulated lncRNAs and their correlated mRNAs in the development of congenital spinal abnormality was established. Our data suggested that lncRNAs may play a vital role in the pathophysiology of air pollution‐exposed congenital spinal malformation.     

Small regulatory non‐coding RNAs in bacteria: physiology and mechanistic aspects

Regulatory ncRNAs (non‐coding RNAs) adjust bacterial physiology in response to environmental cues. ncRNAs can base‐pair to mRNAs and change their translation efficiency and/or their stability, or they can bind to proteins and modulate their activity. ncRNAs have been discovered in several species throughout the bacterial kingdom. This review illustrates the diversity of physiological processes and molecular mechanisms where ncRNAs are key regulators.     

State of the art technologies to explore long non‐coding RNAs in cancer

Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) comprise a vast repertoire of RNAs playing a wide variety of crucial roles in tissue physiology in a cell‐specific manner. Despite being engaged in myriads of regulatory mechanisms, many lncRNAs have still remained to be assigned any functions. A constellation of experimental techniques including single‐molecule RNA in situ hybridization (sm‐RNA FISH), cross‐linking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP), RNA interference (RNAi), Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and so forth has been employed to shed light on lncRNA cellular localization, structure, interaction networks and functions. Here, we review these and other experimental approaches in common use for identification and characterization of lncRNAs, particularly those involved in different types of cancer, with focus on merits and demerits of each technique.     

Regulatory non‐coding RNAs in acute myocardial infarction

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases that leads to high mortality and morbidity globally. Various therapeutic targets for AMI have been investigated in recent years, including the non‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs). NcRNAs, a class of RNA molecules that typically do not code proteins, are divided into several subgroups. Among them, microRNAs (miRNAs) are widely studied for their modulation of several pathological aspects of AMI, including cardiomyocyte apoptosis, inflammation, angiogenesis and fibrosis. It has emerged that long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) also regulate these processes via interesting mechanisms. However, the regulatory functions of ncRNAs in AMI and their underlying functional mechanisms have not been systematically described. In this review, we summarize the recent findings involving ncRNA actions in AMI and briefly describe the novel mechanisms of these ncRNAs, highlighting their potential application as therapeutic targets in AMI.     

Long non‐coding RNAs in non‐small cell lung cancer as biomarkers and therapeutic targets

Lung cancer‐associated mortality is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Non‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs), with no protein‐coding ability, have multiple biological roles. Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a recently characterized class of ncRNAs that are over 200 nucleotides in length. Many lncRNAs have the ability of facilitating or inhibiting the development and progression of tumours, including non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Because of their fundamental roles in regulating gene expression, along with their involvement in the biological mechanisms underlying tumourigenesis, they are a promising class of tissue‐ and/or blood‐based cancer biomarkers. In this review, we highlight the emerging roles of lncRNAs in NSCLC, and discuss their potential clinical applications as diagnostic and prognostic markers and as therapeutic targets.     

Emerging roles of non‐coding RNAs in scoliosis

Scoliosis, a complex three‐dimensional deformity of the spine with the Cobb angle (a measure of the spinal lateral curvature) >10 degree, encompasses a spectrum of pathologies, including congenital, idiopathic, syndromic and neuromuscular aetiologies. The pathogenesis is multifactorial involving both environmental and genetic factors but the exact cellular and molecular mechanisms of disease development remain largely unknown. Emerging evidence showed that non‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs), namely microRNAs, long ncRNAs and circular RNAs, are deregulated in many orthopaedic diseases, including scoliosis. Importantly, these deregulated ncRNAs functionally participate in the initiation and progression of scoliosis. Here, we review recent progress in ncRNA research on scoliosis.