Profiling the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network to reveal potential crosstalk between inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: Because of the increasing dysplasia rate in the lifelong course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, it is imperative to characterize the crosstalk between IBD and colorectal cancer (CRC). However, there have been no reports revealing the occurrence of the ceRNA network in IBD-related CRC. METHODS: In this study, we conducted gene expression profile studies of databases and performed an integrated analysis to detect the potential of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA in regulating disease transformation. R packages were used to screen differentially expressed mRNA, lncRNA and miRNA among CRC, IBD and normal tissue. The lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed based on predicted miRNA-targeted lncRNAs and miRNA-targeted mRNAs. Functional analyses were then conducted to identify genes involved in the ceRNA network, and key lncRNAs were evaluated based on several clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of three lncRNAs, 15 miRNAs, and 138 mRNAs were identified as potential mediators in the pathophysiological processes of IBD-related CRC. Gene Ontology annotation enrichment analysis confirmed that the dysplasia process was strongly associated with immune response, response to lipopolysaccharide, and inflammatory response. Survival analysis showed that LINC01106 (HR = 1.7; p < 0.05) were strongly associated with overall survival of colorectal cancer patients. The current study identified a series of IBD-related mRNAs, miRNA, and lncRNAs, and highlighted the important role of ceRNAs in the pathogenesis of IBD-related CRC. Among them, the LINC01106-miRNA-mRNA axis was identified as vital targets for further research.