LncRNA Expression in CD4+T Cells in Neurosyphilis Patients
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
Authors: Liu, Li-Li; Zhu, Shao-Gang; Jiang, Xiao-Yong; Ren, Jun; Lin, Yong; Zhang, Ning-Ning; Tong, Man-Li; Zhang, Hui-Lin; Zheng, Wei-Hong; Fu, Hua-Jun; Luo, Hai-Juan; Lin, Li-Rong; Yan, Jiang-Hua; Yang, Tian-Ci
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that several long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in regulating the immune response to cope with pathogenic invasion. To date, the roles of lncRNAs in the CD4+ T cell response to Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum) infection in neurosyphilis patients remain unknown. The mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles of CD4+ T cells that were isolated from neurosyphilis patients and healthy controls were analyzed by microarray. A total of 2258 lncRNAs and 1728 mRNAs were identified as over-expressed or under-expressed, respectively (fold change > 1.5) in the CD4+ T cells of neurosyphilis patients compared to the healthy controls. The lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network showed that 59 lncRNAs showed significant differences along with significantly different mRNAs. Among the 59 gene pairs, the LOC79999 mRNA was positively correlated with the RP11-160E2.16, RP11-160E2.11, and RP11-160E2.19 lncRNAs, and the NKX1-1 mRNA was positively correlated with the RP11-1398P2.1, RP11-160E2.19, and XLOC_003422 lncRNAs. The following five mRNAs were correlated with two differential lncRNAs: DUSP16, AP000349.1, FAM115C, TIMM8A, and SMCHD1. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that the differentially expressed coding genes were mainly involved in biological processes and the top 4 terms that associated with above-mentioned differentially expressed coding genes were as follows: defense response to fungus, defense response to bacterium, killing of cells of other organism and disruption of cells of another organism. A subsequent pathway analysis was also conducted, and several pathways, including the T cell receptor, MAPK, and TGF-beta signaling pathways, were associated with the differentially expressed mRNAs. This study reveals the differential expression profiles of lncRNAs in the CD4+ T cell response to the T. pallidum infection in neurosyphilis patients. LncRNAs are involved in key biological processes that comprise the CD4+ T cell response to the T. pallidum infection.
Expression analysis of long non-coding RNAs and their target genes in multiple sclerosis patients
NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES
Authors: Ganji, Maziar; Sayad, Arezou; Omrani, Mir Davood; Arsang-Jang, Shahram; Mazdeh, Mehrdokht; Taheri, Mohammad
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive chronic autoimmune-mediated disease. Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are characterized to participate in the adjustment of immune responses. Here, we evaluated the expression levels of GSTT1-AS1 and IFNG-AS1 lncRNAs and their targets (TNF and IFNG, respectively) in Iranian MS patients. In this case-control study, 50 relapsing-remitting MS patients and 50 healthy subjects were recruited. Expressions of GSTT1-AS1 and IFNG-AS1 lncRNAs, as well as TNF and IFNG genes, were assessed in their peripheral blood samples by SYBR Green-based Real-time quantitative PCR. Expression levels of GSTT1-AS1 and IFNG-AS1 lncRNAs were both significantly downregulated (p values 0.032 and 0.013, respectively). On the other hand, the expression of TNF and IFNG showed increased levels, however, did not reach statistical significance after our analysis (p>0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that GSTT1-AS1 had a significant positive moderate correlation with IFNG-AS1 (r=0.541, p<0.0001), IFNG (r=0.329, p=0.001), and TNF (r=0.204, p=0.041). Also, IFNG-AS1 revealed the same correlation with IFNG (r=0.475, p<0.0001) as well as TNF (r=0.399, p<0.0001). Furthermore, GSTT1-AS1 (r=0.313, p=0.027) and (IFNG r=0.478, p<0.0001) demonstrated a significant positive correlation with age at onset. Briefly, the current study provided for the first time dysregulation of GSTT1-AS1 and IFNG-AS lncRNAs network in MS, which highlights the significant role of epigenetic pathways in this autoimmune disorder. Larger sample size and further investigation assays could shed light on the underlying mechanisms in this area of science.