LncRNAs in blood cells: Roles in cell development and potential pathogenesis in hematological malignancies

Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) is a class of non-coding RNA comprising more than 200 nucleotides. Several studies report that LncRNAs are widely involved in biological processes such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and chromatin remodeling. LncRNA interacts with DNA, RNA, and protein molecules thus regulating expression of target genes. LncRNAs are associated with occurrence and development of tumors, nervous systems, metabolic diseases, reproductive development, and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, LncRNAs are implicated in progression of several diseases. Studies report that LncRNA plays a crucial role in regulation of gene expression during proliferation and differentiation stages of red blood cell development. LncRNA promotes development of hematopoietic stem cells and plays an important role in myeloid and lymphatic function. In this paper, studies on regulatory mechanism of LncRNA in blood cells and pathogenesis in hematological malignancies were reviewed.