Functional implication of celiac disease associated lncRNAs in disease pathogenesis

Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic immune-mediated disorder triggered by the consumption of dietary gluten that develops in genetically susceptible individuals. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and RNA sequencing technology (RNAseq) have helped in the detection of genes and genetic mechanisms involved in CD pathogenesis. However, the majority of the CD-associated variants reside in non-coding regions, which are mainly functionally uncharacterized. New evidences indicate that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in various biological processes and they have emerged as key regulatory molecules involved in the development of a wide range of diseases, including intestinal inflammatory disorders. This paper reviews the work performed by our group in the identification and characterization of lncRNAs associated with CD, highlighting the validity of some of the available bioinformatic resources to decipher the function of disease related lncRNAs.