Long non-coding RNAs in innate and adaptive immunity

•Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) recently discovered new classes of molecules.•In complex organisms, numbers of lncRNA genes ≫ number of protein-coding genes.•Identify and functions of lncRNAs in the immune system is in its infancy.•LncRNAs are critical regulators of the adaptive and innate immune systems.•Function is achieved by an array of unique mechanisms.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent a newly discovered class of regulatory molecules that impact a variety of biological processes in cells and organ systems. In humans, it is estimated that there may be more than twice as many lncRNA genes than protein-coding genes. However, only a handful of lncRNAs have been analyzed in detail. In this review, we describe expression and functions of lncRNAs that have been demonstrated to impact innate and adaptive immunity. These emerging paradigms illustrate remarkably diverse mechanisms that lncRNAs utilize to impact the transcriptional programs of immune cells required to fight against pathogens and maintain normal health and homeostasis.