Long Noncoding RNAs in Cardiovascular Development and Diseases

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become one of the major diseases affecting human health worldwide. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) refer to a class of RNAs with a length of more than 200 nucleotides and a low coding potential. LncRNAs are involved in a variety of physiological and pathological processes and are reported to play an essential role in cell proliferation, differentiation, development, senescence, and apoptosis, closely related to various diseases such as tumors, endocrine diseases, and nervous system diseases. In the cardiovascular system, lncRNAs also have an important regulatory role in cardiovascular development and diseases, including pathological cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial infarction, cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury, atherosclerosis, heart failure, etc. In this chapter, we will briefly summarize the classification and characteristics of lncRNAs and focus on the latest knowledge of lncRNAs in cardiovascular development and diseases. In addition, we will discuss the molecular mechanism underlying lncRNA regulation of cardiovascular diseases and highlight the potential application of lncRNAs.