The Significance of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Regulating the Inflammatory Response

As part of the innate immune system, inflammation is a complex process that increases vascular permeability to eliminate pathogens and assist in the body’s healing process. Recently, the field of immunogenetics has identified long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) Gastric Adenocarcinoma Associated Positive CD44 Regulator Long Intergenic Non-Coding RNA (GAPLINC) and long intergenic non-coding RNA-Cyclooxygenase 2 (lincRNA-Cox2), with roles to regulate inflammation through the NK-kB pathway, transcription of immune genes, and macrophage activity. More specifically, GAPLINC regulates the translational ability of NF-κB subunit p65 and the functions of macrophages such as phagocytosis, antigen uptake, differentiation, and migration. On the other hand, lincRNA-Cox2 regulates the expression of proximal gene PTGS2 through an eRNA mechanism and acts as a scaffold for synthesizing the SWI/SNF complex.