Long noncoding RNA involvement in cancer

Recent advances in genome and transcriptome analysis haveenabled identification of numerous members of a new class ofnoncoding RNA, long noncoding RNA (lncRNA). lncRNAs arebroadly defined as RNA molecules greater than 200 nt inlength and lacking an open reading frame. Recent studiesprovide evidence that lncRNAs play central roles in a widerange of cellular processes through interaction with keycomponent proteins in the gene regulatory system, and thatalteration of their cell- or tissue-specific expression and/or theirprimary or secondary structures is thought to promote cellproliferation, invasion and metastasis. The biological andmolecular characteristics of the large majority of lncRNAsremains unknown, and it is anticipated that improvedunderstanding of the roles played by lncRNAs in cancer willlead to the development of novel biomarkers and effectivetherapeutic strategies.