Expression profile of lncRNAs and mRNAs in intestinal macrophages

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been previously reported to serve an important role in transcription. In addition, several studies have revealed that long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) have a crucial role in human diseases. However, the association between lncRNAs and inflammation-induced intestinal macrophages in the intestinal mucosal barrier has remained elusive. In the present study, intestinal macrophages from healthy Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two groups: The experimental group, consisting of intestinal macrophages treated with 1 mg/l lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the control group, composed of untreated cells. Differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and mRNAs between the control and experimental groups were identified using microarray profiling. The levels of DE mRNAs and lncRNAs were measured by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Furthermore, Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses of DE mRNAs and lncRNAs were performed. To identify core regulatory factors among DE lncRNAs and mRNAs, a lncRNA-mRNA network was constructed. A total of 357 DE lncRNAs and 542 DE mRNAs between the LPS-treated and untreated groups were identified (fold-change >1.5; P<0.05). In addition, selected microarray data were confirmed by RT-qPCR. GO analysis of the DE mRNAs indicated that the biological functions of the upregulated mRNAs included inflammatory response, immune response, metabolic process and signal transduction, whereas those of the downregulated mRNAs were metabolic process, cell cycle, apoptosis and inflammatory response. In addition, pathway enrichment analysis of the upregulated mRNAs revealed that the most enriched pathways were the NF-κB signaling pathway, B-cell receptor signaling pathway and apoptosis, while the downregulated mRNAs were significantly involved in metabolic pathways, the phosphatidylinositol signaling system, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction and the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. The lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network suggested that lncRNAs NONMMUT024673 and NONMMUT062258 may have an important role in LPS-induced intestinal macrophages. The present study identified the DE profiles between LPS- and non-LPS-treated intestinal macrophages. These DE lncRNAs and mRNAs may be used as potential targets for attenuating excessive inflammatory response in intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction.