Long non-coding RNA-guided regulation in organisms

It is clear that RNA is more than just a messenger between gene and protein. The mammalian genome is pervasively tran- scribed, giving rise to tens of thousands of non-coding transcripts. Whether all of these transcripts are functional remains to be elucidated, but it is evident that there are many functional long non-coding RNAs （lncRNAs）. Recent studies have set out to decode the regulatory role and functional diversity of lncRNAs. Here we organize these studies to highlight the significant in- volvements of lncRNAs in regulation of gene expression and human physiological and pathological processes, which are achieved by their interaction with DNA, RNA or protein.