Review Volume 12, Issue 21 pp 22335—22349

Figure 3. Schematic diagram of the four mechanisms of action of lncRNAs. (I) As molecular signals, lncRNAs are involved in gene transcription in response to various stimuli; (II) as decoys, lncRNAs can repress gene transcription by titrating transcription factors; (III) as scaffolds, lncRNAs can recruit different proteins to target genes; and (IV) as guides, lncRNAs can localize particular ribonucleoprotein complexes to specific chromatin targets.