Involvement and Roles of Long Noncoding RNAs in the Molecular Mechanisms of Emerging and Reemerging Viral Infections

摘要

The studies on the mechanisms of viral–host interactions in infections have been focusing on protein-coding sequences of the genome. Although it is essential to consider the nonprotein-coding part that represents approximately 80% of the human genome. Thus advances in sequencing techniques have led to the discovery of thousands of RNAs with low or no capacity to encode proteins but are exhibiting crucial biological functions. Long noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) (lncRNAs) are a heterogeneous class of these ncRNAs that are longer than 200 nt. Accumulating evidences have demonstrated the involvement of these molecules in development and physiological processes, especially through their regulation of gene expression.