TUG1 and diabetes mellitus: As lncRNAs are emerging as important regulators of cellular functions and disease, we wished to validate the expression of selected lncRNAs with roles in diabetes, e.g. taurine-upregulated gene 1 (TUG1), LNC78/TCL1 upstream neural differentiation-associated RNA (TUNAR), maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3), growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5), and LINC25/LINC01370, known for their regulation of transcription factors and/or effects on beta-cell function and apoptosis (33–37).