Noncoding RNA Regulation of Health and Disease

The advent of next-generation sequencing (NSG) techniques revealed the existence of a large portion of transcribed noncoding elements in our genome. Often referred to as the “dark matter” of the genome, these noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have recently emerged as key players in regulatory mechanisms governing varied cellular processes. Importantly, alteration of ncRNA expression has been found in a myriad of diseases, such as diabetes, Alzheimer disease, and cancer. In addition, a growing body of evidence demonstrated the presence of ncRNAs in extracellular vesicles, which opens new disease-specific diagnostic and prognostic possibilities and promotes the potential of liquid biopsy in modern medicine. In this chapter, we review the current knowledge on noncoding RNAs and their potential as disease-associated biomarkers and highlight their future application in anticancer therapy.