Long noncoding RNAs in kidney and cardiovascular diseases

More than 98% of the human genome is transcribed into RNA transcripts that have no or low protein coding potential; long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAS) are important epigenetic regulators of gene expressionLncRNAs interact with components of the cellular machinery, including protein, DNA, RNA and chromatin remodelling complexes, to regulate the expression of target genesLncRNAs are crucial for heart development; they also have a role in cardiac diseases, such as heart failure, myocardial infarction and processes such as cardiac contractility and autophagyNew research suggests that lncRNAs participate in renal processes and have pathogenic roles in kidney diseasesAnimal studies have linked lncRNAs to diabetic nephropathy, glomerular disease, acute renal allograft rejection, renal cell carcinoma, acute kidney injury and hypertensionExpression of lncRNAs can be modulated, suggesting novel therapeutic avenues for the treatment of cardiac and kidney diseases