Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Novel and Hub lncRNAs in the Insulin Resistance-Associated lncRNA –mRNA Network

This study aimed to screen critical long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that might play pivotal roles in insulin resistance, which could provide candidate biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for PCOS. Gene expression profiles of skeletal muscle in patients with PCOS accompanied by insulin resistance and healthy patients were obtained from the publicly available Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. A global triple network including RNA-binding protein, mRNA, and lncRNAs was constructed based on the data from starBase. Then, we extracted an insulin resistance-associated lncRNA-mRNA network (IRLMN) by integrating the data from starBase and GEO. We also performed a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) on the differentially expressed genes between the women with and without PCOS, to identify hub lncRNAs. Additionally, the findings of key lncRNAs were examined in an independent GEO dataset. The expression level of LncRNA RP11-151A6.4 in ovarian granulosa cells was increased in patients with PCOS compared to that in control women. Levels were also increased in PCOS patients with higher BMI, hyperinsulinemia, and higher HOMA-IR values. As a result, RP11-151A6.4 was identified as a hub lncRNA based on IRLMN and WGCNA, and was highly expressed in ovarian granulosa cells, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous and omental adipose tissues of patients with insulin resistance. This study showed the differences between lncRNA and mRNA profiles from healthy women and women ...
Source: Frontiers in Genetics - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research