Long non-coding RNAs in the regulation of skeletal myogenesis and muscle diseases

Skeletal muscle myogenesis during development and the injury induced regeneration contribute to the formation and maintenance of muscle tissue. Emerging studies have demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in the regulation of gene expression during skeletal myogenesis and their aberrant expression is associated with several muscular diseases. In this review, we summarize recent studies of lncRNAs in the regulation of myogenesis and muscle diseases with mechanistic characterization. These findings have greatly enhanced our understanding of gene regulatory mechanisms governing muscle formation and regeneration, which will eventually lead to novel therapeutics against various muscle diseases.