The potential roles of long non-coding RNAs in lipopolysaccharide-induced human peripheral blood mononuclear cells as determined by microarray analysis.

Sepsis arises from an aberrant and excessive host response to infection. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in multiple cellular functions, including inflammation and immunity. However, to date there has been no systematic attempt to identify lncRNAs whose expression is changed after the induction of the innate immune response. In this study, we profiled global lncRNA and mRNA expression changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) using a microarray platform. Of the 40 914 lncRNAs screened, 596 were significantly upregulated and 250 were significantly downregulated (corrected  < 0.05) in response to LPS. Of the 34 236 mRNAs screened, 802 were upregulated and 549 were downregulated. Functional annotation analysis indicated that lncRNA-associated differentially expressed mRNAs were primarily enriched in host immune and inflammatory responses. This study provides the first lncRNA and mRNA transcriptomic landscape of LPS-mediated changes in human PBMCs. These findings may provide potential insights into lncRNAs involved in the immunopathology of sepsis.