title: Long noncoding RNAs in diseases of aging.
abstract: Aging is a process during which progressive deteriorating of cells, tissues, and organs over time lead to loss of function, disease, and death. Towards the goal of extending human health span, there is escalating interest in understanding the mechanisms that govern aging-associated pathologies. Adequate regulation of expression of coding and noncoding genes is critical for maintaining organism homeostasis and preventing disease processes. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly recognized as key regulators of gene expression at all levels--transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational. In this review, we discuss our emerging understanding of lncRNAs implicated in aging illnesses. We focus on diseases arising from age-driven impairment in energy metabolism (obesity, diabetes), the declining capacity to respond homeostatically to proliferative and damaging stimuli (cancer, immune dysfunction), and neurodegeneration. We identify the lncRNAs involved in these ailments and discuss the rising interest in lncRNAs as diagnostic and therapeutic targets to ameliorate age-associated pathologies and prolong health. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Clues to long noncoding RNA taxonomy1, edited by Dr. Tetsuro Hirose and Dr. Shinichi Nakagawa.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging-Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Jiyoung
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging-Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Kyoung Mi
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging-Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Ji Heon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging-Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Je-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging-Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Electronic address: abdelmohsenk@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Kotb
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abdelmohsen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging-Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Electronic address: myriam-gorospe@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gorospe
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding
keywords: Age-associated disease; Differentiation; Myocytes; Post-transcriptional gene regulation; Ribonucleoprotein complexes; Senescence; Transcriptional control; Transcriptome; mRNA stability; mRNA translation