Long non-coding RNA MIAT in development and disease: a new player in an old game.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are a portion of non-protein-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), have manifested a paramount role in the pathophysiology of human diseases, particularly in pathogenesis and progression of disease. Myocardial infarction associated transcript (MIAT), which was recently found to demonstrate aberrant expression in various diseases, such as myocardial infarction, schizophrenia, ischemic stroke, diabetic complications, age-related cataract and cancers, is a novel disease-related lncRNA. This work summarize current evidence regarding the biological functions and underlying mechanisms of lncRNA MIAT during disease development.

SHORT CONCLUSION: LncRNA MIAT likely represents a feasible cancer biomarker or therapeutic target.