Expression of lncRNAs in the injured lung induced by brain ischemia

Abstract

Objectives: Lung injury, as a consequential complication, may arise due to brain ischemia (BI). Nevertheless, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely obscure. In this study, we developed a model of lung injury induced by BI to explore the expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and their network connections in rats experiencing ischemia-induced lung injury through gene sequencing techniques. Methods: We established the Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (MCAO) model of rats and assessed their neurological function using both the Zea-Longa and the modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS). Following an overnight fast of 12 hours, rats underwent venipuncture to obtain blood samples, which were subsequently used for biochemical analyses. Assessment of lung injury was conducted using X-ray detection. By employing microarray hybridization technology, we analyzed the expression profiles of lncRNAs. Bioinformatics methods were utilized to predict the target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) of the identified lncRNAs. Results: A total of 1954 lncRNAs and 3055 mRNAs exhibited differential expression in the lung injury of BI rats compared to the sham-operated group. The prediction of potential target genes for lncRNAs involved scanning a genomic region spanning 10 kilobases upstream and downstream of the lncRNAs. Subsequently, this analysis identified 165 mRNAs located upstream, with 421 mRNAs overlapping with lncRNAs. In addition, 158 mRNAs were situated downstream, and 249 mRNAs were oriented on the antisense strand. Moreover, a comprehensive analysis of the overlapping genomic data revealed the identification of 29 lncRNAs demonstrating a significant association with the 249 mRNAs under investigation. Conclusions: This study reported the network correlation between lncRNAs and mRNA differentially expressed in the lung injury induced by BI, which could help to understand the involved network mechanism in BI-induced lung injury.