LncGata6-controlled stemness in regeneration and cancer.

Long-noncodingRNAs (lncRNAs) have been proposed as a critical regulator of various cellularprocesses including cell fate decision and cell proliferation (1,2).Mechanistically, lncRNAs control various gene expressions by recruiting thechromatin modifiers in cis and trans modes (1). Transcription oflncRNAs itself also can activate or suppress the neighboring gene expression bythe transcriptional interference through regulatory sequences (1,3). lncRNAsare also involved in a wide range of protein and RNA regulatory functions, suchas scaffoldings of proteins and RNAs, protein and RNA decoys, and functionalmicro-peptides production (1). Aberrant regulation of lncRNA-mediated cellularprocesses is implicated in human disease including cancer (4,5). The recenttechnologic advance including the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), andgene editing, genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models has made it feasible toelucidate the various roles of lncRNAs in the normal tissue physiology and thepathologic conditions including tumorigenesis and metastasis (2,6).