Long Noncoding RNAs as Bone Marrow Stem Cell Regulators in Osteoporosis

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) contribute toward regulating gene expression and cell differentiation and may be involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the expression patterns of lncRNAs in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) derived from patients with osteoporotic fractures and their relevance to osteogenic function. The BMSCs were isolated from the femoral head of patients with hip fractures (FRX) and controls with osteoarthritis (OA). We found 74 differentially expressed genes between FRX and OA, of which 33 were of the lncRNA type. Among them, 52 genes (20 lncRNAs) were replicated in another independent dataset. The differentially expressed lncRNAs were over-represented among those correlated with differentially expressed protein-coding genes. In addition, the comparison of pre- and post-differentiated paired samples revealed 163 differentially expressed genes, of which 99 were of the lncRNA type. Among them, the overexpression of LINC00341 induced an upregulation of typical osteoblastic genes. In conclusion, the analysis of lncRNA expression in BMSCs shows specific patterns in patients with osteoporotic fractures, as well as changes associated with osteogenic differentiation. The regulation of bone genes through lncRNAs might bring new opportunities for designing bone anabolic therapies in systemic and localized bone disorders.