Expression of long non-coding RNAs in complete transection spinal cord injury: a transcriptomic analysis

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abundantly expressed in the central nervous system and exert a critical role in gene regulation via multiple biological processes. To uncover the functional significance and molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in spinal cord injury (SCI), the expression signatures of lncRNAs were profiled using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology in a Sprague-Dawley rat model of the 10(th) thoracic vertebra complete transection SCI. Results showed that 116 of 14,802 detected lncRNAs were differentially expressed, among which 16—including eight up-regulated (H19, Vof16, Hmox2-ps1, LOC100910973, Ybx1-ps3, Nnat, Gcgr, LOC680254) and eight down-regulated (Rmrp, Terc, Ngrn, Ppp2r2b, Cox6a2, Rpl37a-ps1, LOC360231, Rpph1)—demonstrated fold changes > 2 in response to transection SCI. A subset of these RNA-seq results was validated by quantitative real-time PCR. The levels of 821 mRNAs were also significantly altered post-SCI; 592 mRNAs were up-regulated and 229 mRNAs were down-regulated by more than 2-fold. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses showed that differentially expressed mRNAs were related to GO biological processes and molecular functions such as injury and inflammation response, wound repair, and apoptosis, and were significantly enriched in 15 KEGG pathways, including cell phagocytosis, tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway, and leukocyte migration. Our results reveal the expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in the rat spinal cord of a complete transection model, and these differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs represent potential novel targets for SCI treatment. We suggest that lncRNAs may play an important role in the early immuno-inflammatory response after spinal cord injury. This study was approved by the Administration Committee of Experimental Animals, Guangdong Province, China.