Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified many loci contributing to genetic variation of complex traits. Immune mediated disorders are complex diseases for which hundreds of risk alleles have been identified by GWAS. However, the intergenic location of most of the signals has make it difficult to decipher their implication in disease pathogenesis. A significant number of immune disease-associated SNPs are located within long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). LncRNAs have gained importance due to their involvement in the regulation of a wide range of biological processes, including immune responses. GWAS SNPs located within lncRNAs can affect their regulatory capacity by modifying their secondary structure, altering their expression levels or regulating the transcription of different isoforms. In this review we discuss the functional implications of immune-related lncRNAs harboring disease associated SNPs on various disease conditions.
Keywords: Autoimmunity; GWAS; Inflammation; Lnc13; Long noncoding RNA.
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