Role of lncRNAs in pathophysiology of obesity

Abstract

Obesity is a growing problem worldwide, with its pathophysiology being keenly explored. Previously, the noncoding transcriptome was considered transcriptional noise with no functional relevance. However, emerging evidence suggests a critical role for noncoding RNAs, especially long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), in obesity. Several lncRNAs have been identified that facilitate the development of obesity (such as LINK-A) or resist obesity (such as lnc266). These findings emphasize the importance of the study of lncRNA, which could be the master regulators of disease progression and the key to the development of novel therapeutics.