Expression profiles of long noncoding RNAs associated with the NSUN2 gene in HepG2 cells

NOP2/Sun domain family member 2 (NSUN2) is upregulated in numerous types of tumors and may be implicated in multiple biological processes, including cell proliferation, migration and human tumorigenesis. However, little is known about how NSUN2 serves a role in these processes. In the present study, expression profiles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs were developed in NSUN2-deficient HepG2 cells by RNA-sequencing analysis. A total of 757 lncRNAs were differentially expressed, 392 of which were upregulated, and 365 were downregulated compared with wild-type HepG2 cells. Moreover, 212 lncRNAs were co-expressed with 368 target mRNAs. It was also observed that 253 pairs of lncRNAs and mRNAs exhibited negative correlations and that 290 pairs had positive correlations. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that these lncRNAs regulated by NSUN2 were associated with ‘signal transduction’, ‘extracellular exosome’ and ‘calcium ion binding’, and were enriched in ‘pathways in cancer’, ‘PI3K-Akt signaling pathway’ and ‘ECM-receptor interaction pathway’. These results illustrate the landscape and co-expression network of lncRNAs regulated by NSUN2 and provide invaluable information for studying the molecular function of NSUN2.