Potential value of lncRNAs as a biomarker for proliferative diabetic retinopathy

To investigate the differences in lncRNAs expression in whole blood between diabetic retinopathy (DR) patients and healthy subjects, and to evaluate the potential value of lncRNAs as a diagnostic biomarker for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

A series of 34 PDR patients, 34 patients with non-proliferative DR (NPDR) and 34 healthy participants were enroled. Differentially expressed lncRNAs were demonstrated using high-throughput sequencing and validated using qRT-PCR. Gene Ontology (GO) was performed to explore the possible biological function of the differentially expressed lncRNAs. lncRNA/mRNA coexpression network was built to determine the targets of differentially expressed lncRNAs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was utilized to evaluate the diagnostic value of lncRNAs for PDR.

We identified 175 and 179 differentially expressed lncRNAs in PDR patients compared with control samples and NPDR patients, respectively. GO analysis showed that the various metabolic processes were possibly influenced by these dysregulated lncRNAs. Using the differently expressed lncRNAs data, we further identified 82 overlapping lncRNAs in PDR patients with NPDR and control subjects. Part of these overlapping lncRNAs was significantly correlated with nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and Wnt signal pathways. ROC curves were constructed for two upregulated lncRNAs and the ROC analysis indicated that both of them had potential diagnostic value and could distinguish PDR from control subjects and NPDR patients.

LncRNAs expression was altered in PDR patients compared with NPDR and control subjects. Moreover, it provides a resource that lncRNAs might be novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for PDR.