Zhang Qiang, Wei Yunzhen, Yan Zichuang, Wu Cheng, Chang Zhiqiang, Zhu Yinling, Li Kun, Xu Yan
College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
Mol Biosyst. 2017 Jun 1;13(6):1142-1151. doi: 10.1039/c7mb00144d. Epub 2017 Apr 26.
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are key regulators of gene expression. Some long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) affect gene expression by interacting with RBPs. However, whether this influences the biological characteristics of lncRNAs in diseases still remains unknown. Here, we classify lncRNAs into two categories, using the interaction information between lncRNAs and RBPs: the lncRNAs that interact with RBPs (Rlncs) and the lncRNAs that do not interact with RBPs (NRlncs). Then we systematically analyze the basic attributes and functions of the two categories of lncRNAs across 10 cancers. By comparing the two categories, we find that the attributes of Rlncs are significantly higher than those of NRlncs in different aspects such as expression level, protein-coding potential, and evolutionary conservation. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis reveals that the two categories of lncRNAs are involved in different functions and biological pathways. Finally, the prognostic analysis results suggest that the two categories of lncRNAs affect the overall survival of patients through participating in different functions. Our systematic characterization of Rlncs and NRlncs provides a new perspective for understanding the role of lncRNAs, and improves knowledge of cancer biology.
RNA结合蛋白（RBPs）是基因表达的关键调节因子。一些长链非编码RNA（lncRNAs）通过与RBPs相互作用来影响基因表达。然而，这是否会影响lncRNAs在疾病中的生物学特性仍不清楚。在这里，我们利用lncRNAs与RBPs之间的相互作用信息，将lncRNAs分为两类：与RBPs相互作用的lncRNAs（Rlncs）和不与RBPs相互作用的lncRNAs（NRlncs）。然后，我们系统地分析了这两类lncRNAs在10种癌症中的基本属性和功能。通过比较这两类lncRNAs，我们发现在表达水平、蛋白质编码潜力和进化保守性等不同方面，Rlncs的属性显著高于NRlncs。此外，功能富集分析表明，这两类lncRNAs参与了不同的功能和生物学途径。最后，预后分析结果表明，这两类lncRNAs通过参与不同的功能来影响患者的总生存期。我们对Rlncs和NRlncs的系统表征为理解lncRNAs的作用提供了新的视角，并增进了对癌症生物学的认识。
