Regulation of mammary epithelial cell homeostasis by lncRNAs

The epithelial cells of the mammary gland develop primarily after birth and undergo surges of hormonally regulated proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis during both puberty and pregnancy. Thus, the mammary gland is a useful model to study fundamental processes of development and adult tissue homeostasis, such as stem and progenitor cell regulation, cell fate commitment, and differentiation. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as prominent regulators of these essential processes, as their extraordinary versatility allows them to modulate gene expression via diverse mechanisms at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Not surprisingly, lncRNAs are also aberrantly expressed in cancer and promote tumorigenesis by disrupting vital cellular functions, such as cell cycle, survival, and migration. In this review, we first broadly summarize the functions of lncRNAs in mammalian development and cancer. Then we focus on what is currently known about the role of lncRNAs in mammary gland development and breast cancer. This article is part of a Directed Issue entitled: The Non-coding RNA Revolution.