Department of Cardiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 1000730, China.
Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Peking University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100191, China.
Genomics. 2021 Jan;113(1 Pt 1):57-65. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.11.016. Epub 2020 Nov 20.
The aim of this study was to elucidate the roles played by circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the mechanism underlying submandibular gland (SMG) dysfunction in hypertension. We employed RNA-seq to analyze the circRNA and mRNA expression profiles of SMGs. Seventy-five differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs and 691 DE mRNAs were determined to be significantly altered in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Altered mRNAs were primarily related to the immune system and immune response. Eight circRNAs were selected for further analysis. Cell adhesion molecules were determined to be the most strongly enriched pathway through analysis of DE mRNAs, the coding noncoding gene co-expression (CNC) network and the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. The salivary secretion pathway was observed to be notably enriched through analysis of the ceRNA network. These results suggest that the crosstalk among circRNAs may play a crucial role in the development of SMG dysfunction in hypertension.
本研究旨在阐明环状 RNA（circRNA）在高血压下颌下腺（SMG）功能障碍机制中所起的作用。我们采用 RNA-seq 分析 SMG 的 circRNA 和 mRNA 表达谱。在自发性高血压大鼠中，确定了 75 个差异表达（DE）circRNA 和 691 个 DEmRNA 显著改变。改变的 mRNAs 主要与免疫系统和免疫反应有关。选择了 8 个 circRNA 进行进一步分析。通过 DE mRNAs、编码非编码基因共表达（CNC）网络和竞争性内源 RNA（ceRNA）网络分析，确定细胞黏附分子是最富集的途径。通过 ceRNA 网络分析，观察到唾液分泌途径明显富集。这些结果表明，circRNA 之间的串扰可能在高血压下颌下腺功能障碍的发展中起关键作用。
