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Functional significance of long non-coding RNAs in breast cancer

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Abstract

Most of the genome is transcribed to transcripts of no protein-coding potential. However, these transcripts do not represent transcriptional ‘noise’, rather they play an important role in cellular metabolism and development. Non-coding transcripts of 200 bases to 100 kb length are termed as long non-coding RNAs, majority of which are yet to be characterised thoroughly. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a significant role in cellular process ranging from transcriptional to post-transcriptional regulation. In this review, we highlight the recent efforts to characterise the major functions of lncRNAs in breast cancer. lncRNA expression is altered in several cancer types. Further, the aberrant regulation of lncRNAs promotes tumour development as they are involved in several cancer-associated pathways.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Campus, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK

    Rajeev Vikram

  2. School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK

    Rahul Ramachandran

  3. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Ruhuna, Matara, 81000, Sri Lanka

    Khaja Shameem Mohammed Abdul

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  1. Rajeev Vikram
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Correspondence to Rajeev Vikram.

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Vikram, R., Ramachandran, R. & Abdul, K.S.M. Functional significance of long non-coding RNAs in breast cancer. Breast Cancer 21, 515–521 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12282-014-0554-y

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