Construction of ceRNA network based on RNA-seq for identifying prognostic lncRNA biomarkers in Perthes disease

Introduction: Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease or Perthes disease is a condition that occurs in children aged 2 to 15 years, and is characterized by osteonecrosis of the femoral head, which results in physical limitations. Despite ongoing research, the pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of Perthes disease remain unclear. In order to obtain further insights, the expression patterns of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), miRNAs, and mRNAs in a rabbit model of Perthes disease were analyzed in this study by transcriptome sequencing. Methods and results: The results of RNA-seq analyses revealed that 77 lncRNAs, 239 miRNAs, and 1027 mRNAs were differentially expressed in the rabbit model. This finding suggested that multiple genetic pathways are involved in the development of Perthes disease. A weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) network was subsequently constructed using the differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs), and network analysis revealed that the genes associated with angiogenesis and platelet activation were downregulated, which was consistent with the findings of Perthes disease. A competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was additionally constructed using 29 differentially expressed lncRNAs (including HIF3A and LOC103350994), 28 differentially expressed miRNAs (including ocu-miR-574-5p and ocu-miR-324-3p), and 76 DEmRNAs (including ALOX12 and PTGER2). Disscusion: The results obtained herein provide novel perspectives regarding the pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of Perthes disease. The findings of this study can pave the way for the development of effective therapeutic strategies for Perthes disease in future.