Genome-wide analysis of long noncoding RNA profile in human gastric epithelial cell response to Helicobacter pylori

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are an important class of pervasive genes, and their misregulation has been shown in various types of diseases. However, the relationship between lncRNAs and the immune response to pathogen infection has been rarely reported. Helicobacter pylori is a major human pathogenic bacterium that causes gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and gastric cancer. The regulatory mechanism of the H. pylori-induced immune response is not yet clear. In the present study, we identified nonoverlapping signatures of a small number of lncRNAs that were aberrantly expressed in H. pylori-infected gastric epithelial cells using microarray analysis followed by bioassays. From microarray data, we found that 23 lncRNAs were upregulated and 21 were downregulated. Five lncRNAs, XLOC_004562, XLOC_005912, XLOC_000620, XLOC_004122, and XLOC_014388, were further evaluated using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, and the results matched well with microarray data. In addition, XLOC_004122 and XLOC_014388 were decreased in gastric mucosal tissues of H. pylori-positive patients. Differentially expressed lncRNAs may play a partial or key role in the immune response to H. pylori, and this may provide potential targets for the future treatment of H. pylori-related diseases.