Tumor microenvironment reprogramming by immune cell lncRNAs
Immune cell-intrinsic long noncoding RNAs—expressed within T cells, NK cells, dendritic cells, and macrophages —have emerged as regulators of antitumor immunity, distinct from tumor cell-derived long noncoding RNAs.
Long noncoding RNAs function as molecular switches, toggling immune cells between effector and suppressive states and governing T cell exhaustion, macrophage polarization, and antigen presentation.
Exosomal long noncoding RNAs extend these regulatory circuits across cellular boundaries, enabling bidirectional reprogramming between tumor, immune, and stromal compartments.
Dynamic remodeling of long noncoding RNA expression under hypoxia, metabolic stress, and therapy directly shapes immune competence within the tumor microenvironment.
The convergence of RNA medicine, single-cell transcriptomics, and spatial biology is making immune cell-intrinsic long noncoding RNAs actionable as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
https://www.cell.com/trends/cell-biology/fulltext/S0962-8924(26)00132-7
