Long noncoding RNAs: regulation, function and cancer

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein-coding RNA transcripts that exert a key role in many cellular processes and have potential toward addressing disease etiology. Here, we review existing noncoding RNA classes and then describe a variety of mechanisms and functions by which lncRNAs regulate gene expression such as chromatin remodeling, genomic imprinting, gene transcription and post-transcriptional processing. We also examine several lncRNAs that contribute significantly to pathogenesis, oncogenesis, tumor suppression and cell cycle arrest of diverse cancer types and also give a summary of the pathways that lncRNAs might be involved in.