Investigation of LncRNA PVT1 and MiR-21-5p Expression as Promising Novel Biomarkers for Autism Spectrum Disorder

The characteristics of ncRNA in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were observed to disclose a theoretical basis for further research on molecular markers for early warning of ASD. Children with ASD and normal control children were recruited to collect peripheral blood RNA samples. The concentration of PVT1 and miR-21-5p was quantitatively analyzed by qRT-PCR. Pearson correlation coefficient method was used to evaluate the link between PVT1 level and miR-21-5p level of the children. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were applied to reckon the predictive value of PVT1, miR-21-5p, and their combination in ASD. The interconnection of PVT1 with miR-21-5p was represented by luciferase reporter assay. The targeted genes of miR-21-5p were predicted. The enrichment and protein interaction analysis of these genes was carried out to find the important core genes and analyze their value in ASD. In the disease group, the level of PVT1 was downregulated, while the content of miR-21-5p was upregulated. The expression level of serum miR-21-5p was negatively correlated with the level of PVT1. Luciferase reporter gene assay documented that PVT1 directly targeted miR-21-5p. ROC curve showed that PVT1, miR-21-5p, and their combination showed clinical value for disease diagnosis. The functional enrichment analysis showed that the targets of miR-21-5p participated in ASD by regulating related functions and pathways. Reduced expression of PVT1 and raised miR-21-5p were good diagnostic markers for ASD, which would provide a basis for effective prevention, early diagnosis, and early intervention of ASD.