Analysis of long noncoding RNA-associated competing endogenous RNA network in glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist-mediated protection in β cells.

BACKGROUND

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs are widely involved in various physiological and pathological processes. The use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) is a novel therapeutic strategy that could promote insulin secretion and decrease the rate of β-cell apoptosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. However, the specific lncRNAs and mRNAs and their functions in these processes have not been fully identified and elucidated.

AIM

To identify the lncRNAs and mRNAs that are involved in the protective effect of GLP-1RA in β cells, and their roles.

METHODS

Rat gene microarray was used to screen differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and mRNAs in β cells treated with geniposide, a GLP-1RA. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed to assess the underlying functions of DE mRNAs. Hub mRNAs were filtered using the STRING database and the Cytoscape plugin, CytoHubba. In order to reveal the regulatory relationship between lncRNAs and hub mRNAs, their co-expression network was constructed based on the Pearson coefficient of DE lncRNAs and mRNAs, and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanism was explored through miRanda and TargetScan databases.

RESULTS

We identified 308 DE lncRNAs and 128 DE mRNAs with a fold change filter of ≥ 1.5 and value < 0.05. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses indicated that the most enriched terms were G-protein coupled receptor signaling pathway, inflammatory response, calcium signaling pathway, positive regulation of cell proliferation, and ERK1 and ERK2 cascade. , , and were screened as hub mRNAs using the STRING database and the Cytoscape plugin, CytoHubba. This result was further verified using SwissTargetPrediction tool. Through the co-expression network and competing endogenous (ceRNA) mechanism, we identified seven lncRNAs (NONRATT027738, NONRATT027888, NONRATT030038, .) co-expressed with the three hub mRNAs () based on the Pearson coefficient of the expression levels. These lncRNAs regulated hub mRNA functions by competing with six miRNAs (no-miR-5132-3p, rno-miR-344g, rno-miR-3075, .) the ceRNA mechanism. Further analysis indicated that lncRNA NONRATT027738 interacts with all the three hub mRNAs, suggesting that it is at a core position within the ceRNA network.

CONCLUSION

We have identified key lncRNAs and mRNAs, and highlighted here how they interact through the ceRNA mechanism to mediate the protective effect of GLP-1RA in β cells.