Microarray profiling of long non-coding RNAs associated with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a fatal disease with a poor prognosis and the molecular pathways underlying the pathogenesis of IPAH are not fully understood. In the present study, the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and mRNA expression profiles of lymphocytes obtained from 12 IPAH patients and 12 healthy controls were analyzed using Arraystar Human lncRNA Microarray v2.0, and their roles in the pathogenesis of IPAH were characterized using comprehensive bioinformatic tools. A total of 2,511 lncRNAs (2,004 upregulated and 507 downregulated) and 1,169 mRNAs (609 upregulated and 560 downregulated) were aberrantly expressed in IPAH patients with a fold-change of >2.0. Gene ontology analysis indicated that the coexpressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were involved in the process of translation, while pathway analysis indicated that the coexpressed RNAs were enriched during the process of oxidative phosphorylation and in the ribosome. It was concluded that dysregulated lncRNAs are potentially associated with IPAH, and aberrant lncRNA expression in blood cells may serve as a diagnostic marker of IPAH.