Systematic analysis of long non-coding RNA and mRNA profiling using RNA sequencing in the femur and muscle of ovariectomized rats.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the expression profile of lncRNAs in bone and skeletal muscle of ovariectomized (OVX) rats.

METHODS

Six-month-old female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into OVX group (ovariectomized, n=12) and sham group (sham-operated, n=12). After 12 weeks, RNA-seq was used to analyze the differential expression of lncRNAs and mRNAs in femur and quadriceps between two groups. Dys-regulated expression of lncRNAs was confirmed by qRT-PCR. The cis and trans-regulatory functions were analyzed to determine their function and biological processes. Lastly, GO and KEGG analyses were performed to assess the biological relevance of genes in each profile.

RESULTS

A total of 17 lncRNAs and 440 mRNAs were differentially expressed in the femur. Thirteen lncRNAs and 292 mRNAs were differentially expressed in the quadriceps. qRT-PCR results were in consistent with the RNA-seq data. Among them, ENSRNOT00000090777 was found in both femur and quadriceps samples. Bioinformatics analysis found that LNC_004549 participated in the differentiation of skeletal and skeletal muscle.

CONCLUSIONS

The expression profile of lncRNAs was significantly altered in femur and quadriceps of OVX rat models, which may offer new insights into pathogenesis of osteoporosis and sarcopenia and potentially provide novel therapeutic targets.