Expression Signatures of Long Noncoding RNAs in Left Ventricular Noncompaction

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Genetics
• Cardiology

Background:

• Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulators in biological processes.
• lncRNAs are involved in various diseases, but their role in left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is unknown.
• LVNC is a rare genetic cardiomyopathy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate lncRNA expression in LVNC patients.
• To identify differentially expressed lncRNAs for LVNC biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
• To explore the underlying biological pathways in LVNC pathogenesis.

Main Methods:

• Agilent Human lncRNA microarray analysis of blood samples from LVNC patients and healthy controls.
• Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-QPCR) for validation.
• Gene Ontology (GO), KEGG pathway, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) for pathway and gene analysis.

Main Results:

• Identified 1,568 upregulated and 1,141 downregulated lncRNAs in LVNC patients.
• Confirmed differential expression of top lncRNAs using RT-QPCR.
• Found enrichment in G2M, Estrogen, and inflammatory pathways in differentially expressed genes (DEGs).
• Identified 1,066 upregulated and 1,017 downregulated messenger RNAs (mRNAs).

Conclusions:

• This is the first study to use lncRNA microarray to explore LVNC pathogenesis.
• Identified several differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs as potential LVNC biomarkers.
• lncRNAs and associated pathways offer novel therapeutic targets for LVNC.