Association between long non-coding RNA and human rare diseases (Review).

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are untranslated transcripts with longer than 200 nucleotides (nt), which possess many of the structural characteristics of mRNAs, including a poly A tail, 5'-capping, and a promoter structure, but no conserved open reading frame. Moreover, lncRNA expression patterns change during differentiation and exhibit a variety of splicing patterns. Many lncRNAs are expressed at specific times and in specific tissues during development. It has been proposed that lncRNAs are involved in the epigenetic regulation of coding genes, and thus exert a powerful effect on a number of physiological and pathological processes, including the pathogenesis of many human rare diseases.