Non-Coding RNA and Innate Immune Signal Regulation

The innate immune system is critical to the elimination and control of infections. However, uncontrolled immune responses can cause indirect host-mediated tissue damage. The regulation of immune homeostasis is a complex but finely regulated process. ncRNAs have been increasingly identified as important regulators of a variety of biological processes. Recent research findings suggest that microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs participate in antiviral responses, tumor immunity, and autoimmune diseases by regulating gene expression in the innate immune pathways. MicroRNAs regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by binding to the 3′ untranslated regions of mRNA, while long non-coding RNAs act as endogenous competing RNAs for microRNAs, inhibiting the binding of microRNAs and mRNAs. In this review, we summarized the regulatory role of non-coding RNAs in innate immunity and its mechanism to provide references for research in the regulation of innate immunity and immune-related diseases. In addition, we also reported discussions on the future research directions in the field, including the expression and maturation regulation mechanism of new non-coding RNAs, and the conservation of non-coding RNAs in evolution.