Long Noncoding RNAs in Metabolic Syndrome Related Disorders

Figure 5

Development of metabolic syndrome. The common clinical symptoms of metabolic disorders include abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypertension [15]. Their appearance is associated with a high risk for development of serious diseases including type 2 diabetes, diabetes-related diabetic retinopathy [16], and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) [17], as well as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) [18] and even some cancers including liver, pancreas, and colon [19] (CVDs and cancers are not discussed in this review). Selected lncRNAs involved in the control of metabolic system activity (e.g., adipogenesis: SRA, ADINR, NEAT1, and lncRAPs) and pathology of metabolic diseases (e.g., type 2 diabetes, HI-LNC25, KCNQ1OT1, LOC283177, diabetic retinopathy, MALAT1, and MIAT) are marked with the red color. In NAFLD, 535 lncRNAs are upregulated and 1,200 are downregulated; however, these sequences are not yet well characterized [20]. This figure was produced using modified elements from the Servier Medical Art (http://www.servier.com/).