Emerging roles of long non-coding RNAs in allotransplant rejection

Allotransplantation has extensively been employed for managing end-stage organ failure and malignant tumors. Acute and chronic post-transplant rejections are major causes of late morbidity and mortality after allotransplantation. However, there are no objective diagnostic criteria and specific therapy for post-transplant rejections. Owing to key advances in high-throughput RNA sequencing techniques, a wealth of studies have disclosed that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) expression increased or decreased evidently in biopsies, blood, plasma, urine and specific cells of rejecting patients, and the dysregulated lncRNAs affected the cellular functions and differentiation of the immune system. Hence, we present an overview of the functions of lncRNAs expressed in various immune cells related to allotransplant rejection. Moreover, our review explores the regulatory interplay of relevant lncRNAs and recipients with or without allograft rejection after solid organ transplantations or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, then discuss whether these relevant lncRNAs can be molecular biomarkers for diagnosis and new therapeutic targets in the management of post-transplanted patients.