Microarray profiling and co-expression network analysis of lncRNAs and mRNAs in ovarian cancer

Dysregulated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the pathogenesis and development of human diseases, such as epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). In this study, we identified EOC-related lncRNAs and performed lncRNA and mRNA microarray analyses using IOSE80, a normal ovary cell line, and two ovarian carcinoma cell lines (SKOV3 and SKOV3/DDP) to investigate the potential roles of lncRNAs in EOC. lncRNA-HEIH expression in EOC tissues and cell lines was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). In addition, we generated a lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network in order to identify lncRNA-expression trends and potential lncRNA target genes. Cell viability, migration, and invasion were determined by Cell Counting Kit-8, transwell assay, and wound-healing assay, respectively, and apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. We identified 3527 differentially expressed lncRNAs upon comparison of the lncRNA profiles from IOSE80 with those of SKOV3 cell lines, with 11 differentially expressed lncRNAs confirmed by qPCR. Both pathway and gene ontology analyses demonstrated the involvement of lncRNAs, especially HEIH and LINC-PINT, in multiple biological processes. Furthermore, in vitro knockdown experiments confirmed that suppression of HEIH expression inhibited EOC cell proliferation. Our findings provide a foundation for further research into the role of these lncRNAs in EOC carcinogenesis and progression.