About this Research Topic
Advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies have revealed that almost 80% of the human genome is transcribed into RNAs, but merely ~2% of the RNA transcripts are translated into proteins. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are >200nt-long and lack any apparent protein-coding potential, constitute a major fraction of the “non-coding” transcriptome. To date, more than 30,000 lncRNAs have been identified but most of them remain functionally unannotated. Nonetheless, a rapidly increasing body of recent studies have unveiled the roles of lncRNAs in a myriad of developmental, biological, and cellular processes.
The immune system is complex machinery with multiple layers of regulatory controls that balance the magnitude of host responses during health and diseases such as viral infections. In recent years, lncRNAs have emerged as one such key regulatory molecule in both viral pathogenesis and immunity against infections. Functions of lncRNAs can be sequence-dependent or -independent and they can act at either epigenomic, transcriptional, post-transcriptional stages of gene expression or by modulating protein functions. The increasing functional roles of lncRNAs also put focus on the high evolutionary pressure that may exist on these molecules, specially immune-related lncRNAs that are selected through fast-evolving processes such as viral infections and antiviral responses. Genetic and functional dysregulations of lncRNAs have been associated with pathophysiological disorders. A detailed understanding of the biology of lncRNAs would serve as an essential foundation for the future use of these RNA molecules as targets for therapeutic interventions.
This Research Topic aims to provide a comprehensive overview and highlight the latest research about the role of lncRNAs in viral infections and immunity with a special focus on their relevance to potential therapies. The scope of the Research Topic includes, but is not limited to, Original Research and Review articles addressing the following areas of research:
1. Mechanisms of differential expression of viral infection-related lncRNAs and their molecular functions during infections such as HIV, HCV, SARS, or influenza.
2. Role of lncRNAs in development of pre- and post-natal immunity (innate and adaptive) and their mechanisms of function.
3. Application of lncRNAs as markers or therapeutic targets of viral pathogenesis and immune disorders.
4. Association of lncRNA SNPs to the predisposition for viral infections and immune disorders.
5. Evolutionary studies about the selection of lncRNAs related to viral infections and the immune response.
The immune system is complex machinery with multiple layers of regulatory controls that balance the magnitude of host responses during health and diseases such as viral infections. In recent years, lncRNAs have emerged as one such key regulatory molecule in both viral pathogenesis and immunity against infections. Functions of lncRNAs can be sequence-dependent or -independent and they can act at either epigenomic, transcriptional, post-transcriptional stages of gene expression or by modulating protein functions. The increasing functional roles of lncRNAs also put focus on the high evolutionary pressure that may exist on these molecules, specially immune-related lncRNAs that are selected through fast-evolving processes such as viral infections and antiviral responses. Genetic and functional dysregulations of lncRNAs have been associated with pathophysiological disorders. A detailed understanding of the biology of lncRNAs would serve as an essential foundation for the future use of these RNA molecules as targets for therapeutic interventions.
This Research Topic aims to provide a comprehensive overview and highlight the latest research about the role of lncRNAs in viral infections and immunity with a special focus on their relevance to potential therapies. The scope of the Research Topic includes, but is not limited to, Original Research and Review articles addressing the following areas of research:
1. Mechanisms of differential expression of viral infection-related lncRNAs and their molecular functions during infections such as HIV, HCV, SARS, or influenza.
2. Role of lncRNAs in development of pre- and post-natal immunity (innate and adaptive) and their mechanisms of function.
3. Application of lncRNAs as markers or therapeutic targets of viral pathogenesis and immune disorders.
4. Association of lncRNA SNPs to the predisposition for viral infections and immune disorders.
5. Evolutionary studies about the selection of lncRNAs related to viral infections and the immune response.
Keywords: Viral infection, viral immunity, RNA, LncRNA, long non-coding RNA
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