Transcriptome Sequencing of lncRNAs, circRNAs, miRNAs, mRNAs, and Interaction Network Constructing in Acute Exacerbation of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

BACKGROUND

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients who suffer from acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AE-IPF) are at increased risk of respiratory deterioration and death. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a vital role in AE-IPF, but studies of crosstalk between transcripts of IPF based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome type are relatively few. The construction of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA)/circular RNAs (circRNA)-microRNAs (miRNA)-mRNA interaction networks can promote understanding RNA interaction in different syndrome types of AE-IPF. The study aimed to identify the difference in RNA transcription expression between IPF patients with "lung heat and collateral stasis (LHCS)" and "lung deficiency with collateral stasis (LDCS)" syndromes, further to construct the potential RNA networks.

METHODS

Five IPF patients with LHCS and five IPF patients with LDCS were recruited in this study to perform RNA sequencing and miRNA sequencing. Further analysis was carried out on the differential expression profiles of lncRNAs, circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs among patients with LHCS and LDCS. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed. The lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) network was constructed, and the key regulatory molecules were analyzed.

RESULTS

For LHCS and LDCS, we identified 69 lncRNAs, 150 circRNAs, 27 miRNAs, and 56 mRNAs. Differential expression analysis through GO and KEGG highlights that differentially expressed mRNAs have significant associations with pathways such as tight junction and Hepatitis C. Within the ceRNA network, all nodes have a direct or indirect association with LHCS progression. The hsa-miR-150-5p core sub-network is composed of 1 lncRNA, 6 circRNAs, 1 miRNA, and 5 mRNAs. From the ceRNA sub-network analysis, NR_120628/hsa-miR-150-5p/E2F3 and hsa-circ-0053515/hsa-miR-150-5p/E2F3 emerged as the pivotal ceRNA pairs.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights that the NR_120628/hsa-miR-150-5p/E2F3 and hsa-circ-0053515/hsa-miR-150-5p/E2F3 axes could be central in the regulation of LHCS, providing valuable insights into potential directions for subsequent research on LHCS.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese clinical trial registry (CHiCTR23007405). Registered on July 27, 2023. https://www.chictr.org.cn/.