Long Non-Coding RNAs Involved in Cancer Development and Cell Fate Determination

The possible physiological significance of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has only recently been recognized. Technical innovations such as the super high-resolution tiling array and deep sequencing technology have indicated their importance. It has been proposed that lncRNAs such as HOTAIR are involved in the recruitment of chromatin modifiers to the target genes. The lncRNA ANRIL has been reported to be associated with a Polycomb complex, recruiting it to the target gene INK4 locus where it suppresses transcription via histone modification. Other lncRNAs such as Kcnq1ot1, AIR and Xist have also been found to recruit chromatin modifiers to their target loci. In this review, we discuss the function of lncRNAs such as HOTAIR, ANRIL, Kcnq1ot1, and Xist which recruit chromatin modifiers to target genes and discuss their involvement in cancer development and aggressiveness, and other cell fate determination.