Long non-coding RNAs: A crucial part of the vasculature puzzle

With the advent of empowering sequencing techniques over the past two decades, the scientific community has uncovered many underlying secrets of our genome. Non-coding transcripts covering a staggering 98% of our genome strongly suggest their involvement in diverse cellular pathways. A special class of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) namely long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has garnered tremendous attention considering its implications in multiple developmental and pathophysiological processes. Accumulating evidence has established lncRNAs as robust regulators of pathways ranging from embryonic cell development to ultimate diseased phenotype. Here, in particular, we summarize the lncRNAs actively participating in the development of our vasculature and the ones which function as drivers or modulators of fatal vascular diseases.