LncRNAs as putative biomarkers and therapeutic targets for Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is known as one of the most common degenerative disorders related to the damage of the central nervous system (CNS). This brain disorder is also characterized by the formation of Lewy bodies in the cytoplasm of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), which consequently leads to motor and non-motor symptoms. With regard to the growing trend in the number of cases with PD and its effects on individuals, families, and communities, immediate treatments together with diagnostic methods are required. In this respect, long non-coding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs) represent a large class of ncRNAs with more than 200 nucleotides in length, playing key roles in some important processes including gene expression, cell differentiation, genomic imprinting, apoptosis, and cell cycle. They are highly expressed in the CNS and previous studies have further reported that the expression profile of lncRNAs is disrupted in human diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders. Since the levels of some lncRNAs change over time in the brains of patients with PD, a number of previous studies have examined their potentials as biomarkers for this brain disorder. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to review the advances in the related literature on lncRNAs as diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic biomarkers for PD.