Role of N6-methyladenosine-related lncRnas in pseudoexfoliation glaucoma

To explore the role of lncRNA m⁶A methylation modification in aqueous humour (AH) of patients with pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PXG). Patients with open-angle PXG under surgery from June 2021 to December 2021 were selected. Age- and gender-matched patients with age-related cataract (ARC) were chosen as control. Patients underwent detailed ophthalmic examinations. 0.05-0.1 ml AH were extracted during surgery for MeRIP-Seq and RNA-Seq. Joint analysis was used to screen lncRNAs with differential m⁶A methylation modification and expression. Online software tools were used to draw lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network (ceRNA). Expression of lncRNAs and mRNAs was confirmed using quantitative real-time PCR. A total of 4151 lncRNAs and 4386 associated m⁶A methylation modified peaks were identified in the PXG group. Similarly, 2490 lncRNAs and 2595 associated m⁶A methylation modified peaks were detected in the control. Compared to the ARC group, the PXG group had 234 hypermethylated and 402 hypomethylated m⁶A peaks, with statistically significant differences (| Fold Change (FC) |≥2, p < 0.05). Bioinformatic analysis revealed that these differentially methylated lncRNA enriched in extracellular matrix formation, tight adhesion, TGF- β signalling pathway, AMPK signalling pathway, and MAPK signalling pathway. Joint analysis identified 10 lncRNAs with differential m⁶A methylation and expression simultaneously. Among them, the expression of ENST000000485383 and ROCK1 were confirmed downregulated in the PXG group by RT-qPCR. m⁶A methylation modification may affect the expression of lncRNA and participate in the pathogenesis of PXG through the ceRNA network. ENST000000485383-hsa miR592-ROCK1 May be a potential target pathway for further investigation in PXG m⁶A methylation.