Differential expression of non-coding RNAs in patients with сhronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a multifactorial heterogeneous chronic inflammatory disease that affects distal airways (bronchi and bronchioles) and lung parenchyma and leads to pulmonary emphysema. We investigated the expression levels of selected genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and lung tissue from patients with COPD: lncRNAs – TP53TG1, LINC00342, H19, MALAT1, DNM3OS, MEG3, LUCAT1, CDKN2B-AS1, SNHG5, miRNAs – miR-18a-5p, miR-200a-3p, miR-34a-5p, miR-126-3p, miR-218-5p, miR29a-3p, miR-150-5p, miR-570-3p, miR-155-5p, miR-15b-5p, miR-141-3p, miR-379-5p. Lung tissue and blood samples were collected from 141 patients and 138 healthy controls. Gene expression levels were analyzed by RT-qPCR. Our study identified significant differential expression in PBMCs 5 lncRNAs MALAT1, TP53TG1, LINC00342, DNM3OS, LUCAT1; 9 miRNAs: miR-155-5p, miR-141-3p, miR-379-5p, miR18a-5p, miR-34a-5p, miR-126-3p, miR-218-5p, miR-29a-3p, miR-150-5p. In lung tissue significant expression changes were observed in 4 lncRNAs: LUCAT1, CDKN2B-AS1, DNM3OS, TP53TG1; 7 miRNAs: miR-155-5p, miR-15b-5p, miR-18a-5p, miR-200a-3p, miR-34a-5p, miR126-3p, miR-218-5p. In silico pathway enrichment analysis indicates that RNAs differentially expressed in COPD patients are implicated in critical cellular processes, including apoptosis, antioxidant response, inflammation, and cellular senescence.