Roles of non-coding RNAs in intercellular crosstalk in cardiovascular diseases

Complex diseases including cardiovascular disease are caused by a combination of the alternation of many genes and the influence of environments. Recently, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been shown to be involved in diverse diseases, and the functions of various ncRNAs have been reported. Many researchers have elucidated the mechanisms of action of these ncRNAs at the cellular level prior to in vivo and clinical studies of the diseases. Due to the characteristics of complex diseases involving intercellular crosstalk, it is important to study communication between multiple cells. However, there is a lack of literature summarizing and discussing studies of ncRNAs involved in intercellular crosstalk in cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, this review summarizes recent discoveries in the functional mechanisms of intercellular crosstalk involving ncRNAs, including microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs. In addition, the pathophysiological role of ncRNAs in this communication is extensively discussed in various cardiovascular diseases.