Functional Roles of lncRNAs in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: A Review Study

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) or recurrent miscarriage is the failure of pregnancy before 20-24 weeks that influencesaround 2-5% of couples. Several genetic, immunological, environmental and physical factors may influenceRPL. Although various traditional methods have been used to treat post-implantation failures, identifying the mechanismsunderlying RPL may improve an effective treatment. Recent evidence suggested that gene expression alterationspresented essential roles in the occurrence of RPL. It has been found that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) playfunctional roles in pregnancy pathologies, such as recurrent miscarriage. lncRNAs can function as dynamic scaffolds,modulate chromatin function, guide and bind to microRNAs (miRNAs) or transcription factors. lncRNAs, by targetingvarious miRNAs and mRNAs, play essential roles in the progression or suppression of RPL. Therefore, targetinglncRNAs and their downstream targets might be a suitable strategy for diagnosis and treatment of RPL. In this review,we summarized emerging roles of several lncRNAs in stimulation or suppression of RPL.