Viral lncRNA: A regulatory molecule for controlling virus life cycle

Wang, Ziqiang; Zhao, Yiwan; Zhang, Yaou

It is becoming apparent that lncRNAs can perform vital roles in the control of a variety of processes by regulating gene expression. Recently, more than 20% of lncRNAs were found to contain one or more Alu elements, which are critical players in gene regulation and molecular pathways [65, 66] . A study showed that Alu sequences embedded in both lncRNAs and mRNAs played crucial roles in targeted mRNA decay via short imperfect base pairing. This imperfect base pairing may extend the potential ability of lncRNAs to regulate protein synthesis [67] , although tens of thousands of human lncRNAs have not been shown to direct protein synthesis. Moreover, the NEAT1 lncRNA, which is up-regulated in virusinfected cells, has been demonstrated to mediate the nuclear retention process [68] , which may help explain the essential roles played by lncRNAs in viral life cycles following accumulation in the nucleus [69] . Furthermore, thousands of lncRNAs have been found to regulate gene expression by binding PRC2, and additional lncRNAs are bound by other chromatin-modifying complexes [70] .