Transcriptome analysis of Long non-coding RNAs altered in sciatic nerves of aging SD rats

Abstract Objectives To investigate the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) changes in the sciatic nerve (SN) in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats during aging. Methods Eighteen healthy SD rats were selected at the age of 1 month (1M) and 24 months (24M) and SNs were collected. High-throughput transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were performed. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks were established according to differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Result As length of lncRNAs increased, its proportion to the total number of lncRNAs decreased. A total of 4079 DElncRNAs were identified in Con vs 24M. GO analysis were primarily clustered in nerve and lipid metabolism, extracellular matrix, and vascularization related fields. There were 17 nodes in the PPI network of the target genes of up-regulating genes including Itgb2, Lox, Col11a1, Wnt5a, Kras, etc. Using quantitative RT-PCR, microarray sequencing accuracy was validated. And there were 169 nodes constructing the PPI network of down-regulated target genes, mainly including Col1a1, Hmgcs1, Hmgcr. CeRNA interaction networks were constructed. Conclusion Lipid metabolism, angiogenesis and ECM fields might play an important role in senescence process in SNs. Col3a1, Serpinh1, Hmgcr, Fdps could be candidates for nerve aging research.