Vascular calcification (VC) occurs in response to misregulation in calcium and phosphate metabolism, and results in the damage of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). It declines vessel elasticity by impairing cardiovascular hemodynamics, and increases morbidity associated with cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides without protein coding potential. While the function of their smaller counterparts such as microRNAs has been well established, the role of lncRNAs in many biological phenomena are much less understood, especially during VC. Using RNA sequencing, we identified numerous novel lncRNAs, and many lncRNAs whose expression was altered in rat VSMCs treated with inorganic phosphate (Pi), which mimics VC. We validated the expression of a subset of the most differentially expressed lncRNAs. For the further study, we selected four lncRNAs that are transcribed near protein coding genes with known functions in VSMCs, and defined their gene structures by performing 5` and 3` rapid amplification of cDNA ends. By overexpressing the lncRNAs, we found that calcium deposition was substantially diminished in VSMCs. Now we are investigating the working mechanism of these lncRNA candidates. The observation from this study will help us to find a novel therapeutic strategy for the prevention or treatment of a variety of diseases associated with vascular calcification.