Microarray Analysis Reveals a Potential Role of lncRNA Expression in remote ischemic preconditioning in Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury

Background: Avoiding or reducing cardiopulmonary bypass-related injuries of important organs is the eternal topic in the field of cardiovascular surgery. Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) is a promising strategy whose clinical application seems more realistic and extensive compared with other conservative or surgical strategies. However, considering its complex process which involves the expression of a variety of molecules and even genes and little is known about its underlying mechanism after years of researches, new train of thought and method must be developed to explore its potential in clinical application. Long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) is a kind of RNA that has been proven be exert efficacy in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular disease. The differential expression of LncRNAs and their biological effects during RIPC have not been reported. Methods We first verified the protective effect of RIPC on myocardial ischemia-reperfusionby western blot, ELISA and hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining. Mouse and human LncRNA arrays were used to investigate the expression signatures of LncRNAs and mRNAs in myocardial tissue after RIPC. Homology comparison was used to screen homologous genes in total differentially expressed LncRNAs. Competing endogenous RNA(ceRNA) mechanism analysis helped us find the matching relationship among homologous LncRNA, mRNA and microRNA. Results 554 differentially expresssed mouse LncRNAs(281 up-regulated / 273 down-regulated) and 1392 differentially expresssed human LncRNAs(635 up-regulated / 757 down-regulated) were selected from LncRNA microarrays. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR) was used to verify these selected LncRNAs, after homology comparison and ceRNA mechanism analysis, we got a pair of homologous LncRNAs(ENST00000574727 & ENSMUST00000123752), predicted corresponding matching relationship and potential competitive binding sites. Conclusions In this study, we identify a number of differentially expressed LncRNAs, which may be closely related to the regulation of inflammation and cell proliferation. In addition, we take several pairs of homologous LncRNAs as the next research object. By continuously exploring the function and mechanism of these LncRNAs, we hope to unveil the mystery of RIPC and discover a new protective mechanism of cardiovascular ischemia-reperfusion disease.