Identification of novel differentially expressed genes in retinas of STZ‐induced long‐term diabetic rats through RNA sequencing

BACKGROUND: The aim of this research was to investigate the retinal transcriptome changes in long‐term streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced rats' retinas using RNA sequencing (RNA‐seq), to explore the molecular mechanisms of diabetic retinopathy (DR), and to identify novel targets for the treatment of DR by comparing the gene expression profile we obtained. METHODS: In this study, 6 healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into wild‐type (WT) group and streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced group, 3 rats each group. After 6 months, 3 normal retina samples and 3 DM retina samples (2 retinas from the same rat were considered as 1 sample) were tested and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were measured by RNA‐seq technology. Then, we did Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway analysis and validated the results of RNA‐seq through qRT–PCR. RESULTS: A total of 118 DEGs were identified, of which 72 were up‐regulated and 46 were down‐regulated. The enriched GO terms showed that 3 most significant enrichment terms were binding (molecular function), cell part (cellular component), and biological regulation (biological process). The results of the KEGG pathway analysis revealed a significant enrichment in cell adhesion molecules, PI3K‐Akt signaling pathway, and allograft rejection, etc. CONCLUSION: Our research has identified specific DEGs and also speculated their potential functions, which will provide novel targets to explore the molecular mechanisms of DR.