Long intergenic noncoding RNAs in cardiovascular diseases: Challenges and strategies for physiological studies and translation

Long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) are increasingly recognized as important mediators of many biological processes relevant to human pathophysiologies, including cardiovascular diseases. In vitro studies have provided important knowledge of cellular functions and mechanisms for an increasing number of lincRNAs. Dysregulated lncRNAs have been associated with cell fate programming and development, vascular diseases, atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome, and cardiac pathological hypertrophy. However, functional interrogation of individual lincRNAs in physiological and disease states is largely limited. The complex nature of lincRNA actions and poor species conservation of human lincRNAs pose substantial challenges to physiological studies in animal model systems and in clinical translation. This review summarizes recent findings of specific lincRNA physiological studies, including MALAT1, MeXis, Lnc-DC and others, in the context of cardiovascular diseases, examines complex mechanisms of lincRNA actions, reviews in vivo research strategies to delineate lincRNA functions and highlights challenges and approaches for physiological studies of primate-specific lincRNAs.