Identification of pterygium-related long non-coding RNAs and expression profiling by microarray analysis

Abstract

Pterygium is common degenerative and proliferative disease of the ocular surface. It becomes a significant sigsight-threatening complication once its ingroing growth covers the pupil. The proliferative capacities of pterygial cells give pterygia the appearance of having a mechanis similar to tumorigen. Long non-coding RNAs (lnc RNAs) areareare keyey regulators of geneg expression. The expressionp levels of certaincertain certain lnc RNAs areareare associated witith a number of diseases, such as different different different tumors and meta metalicolic disordersdisordersdisordersdisordersdisordersdisordersdisorders disorders, amongamongamongamongamong otothers ers. Howevereverever , the contricnsutions of lnc RNAs to pterygium pterygium remain largelylargely uneune. In thisis study, we constructed pterygium related lnc RNA lilibraries using microarray analysis to investigate the potential roles of lnc RNAs inin the development of pterygium. A totaltotaltotaltotaltotal ofof 3,066 upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated andandand 1,646 do downregulatednregulatednregulatednregulatednregulatednregulatednregulatednregulatednregulatednregulated lnc RNAs were ere identified in pterygium tissues compared with paired adjacent normal conjunctival tissues (log fold change >2.0). Quantitative polymerasepolymerasepolymerasepolymerasepolymerase polymerasepolymerasepolymerase chainainain reaction reaction reaction reaction reaction reaction reaction reaction (qPCR) wasas performedperformed performedperformedperformedperformed performed toto validatevalidatevalidatevalidatevalidatevalidatevalidatevalidate 3 upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated upregulated andandand 2 do downregulated lnc RNAs inin 10 patients patients patients patients patients patients patients patients. Bioinformatics analyses (Geneeneene Ontology analysis and patway analysis) were ere used fo further research. Patway analysis indicated that 82 pat pat pat pathway corresponded to the downregulated transcripts transcripts and that 15 pat pat pathway corresponded to the upreguupregu transcripts transcripts transcripts transcripts transcripts transcripts transcripts transcripts transcripts transcripts transcripts (p-valuevaluevaluevaluevalue cutcutcut-offoffoff, 0.05). Ourur results reveal differentially expressed lnc RNAs inin pterygiumpterygiumpterygium pterygiumpterygiumpterygiumpterygiumpterygium andandand suggestsuggestsuggestsuggestsuggestsuggestsuggest thatat lnc RNAs maymaymay be the novelnovelnovelnovelnovel molecular targets for the treatment of pterygium pterygium.