Li Cong, Su Tiantian, Chen Yuqin, Yue Lei, Zhang Yu, Shi Song, Wei Wenjia
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 1111 XianXia Road, Shanghai, 200336 China.
Department of Stomatology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 1111 XianXia Road, Shanghai, 200336 China.
Sleep Biol Rhythms. 2025 Feb 19;23(3):295-303. doi: 10.1007/s41105-025-00577-w. eCollection 2025 Jul.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) participate in diverse biological processes. However, whether circRNAs exhibit distinct expression patterns under obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)-induced chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) remains unexplored. We conducted RNA sequencing to compare expression profiles between CIH rats ( = 4) and normoxic controls ( = 4), identifying differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs. After filtering candidate circRNAs, we validated their expression in four OSA patients and four controls using qRT-PCR. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to confirm the diagnostic potential of these circRNAs. The miRanda software predicted target microRNAs (miRNAs), and the circRNA-miRNA regulatory network was visualized using Cytoscape software. In total, we identified 43 DE circRNAs, primarily enriched in functions like protein binding, cytoskeleton organization, and supramolecular complexes. We selected eight DE circRNAs associated with CIH for validation in OSA patients ( = 4) and controls ( = 4), with five displaying significant expression differences. These eight circRNAs showed distinct expression patterns between CIH and control groups, suggesting potential utility in distinguishing CIH conditions. Notably, our analysis identified mir-466b-3p as associated with DE circRNAs in the context of CIH. In conclusion, this study described circRNA expression profiles in CIH rats and identified several circRNAs with altered expression in CIH conditions. These findings suggest areas for further research into the relationship between circRNA expression and CIH.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41105-025-00577-w.
环状RNA（circRNAs）参与多种生物学过程。然而，在阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA）诱导的慢性间歇性缺氧（CIH）情况下，circRNAs是否表现出不同的表达模式仍未得到探索。我们进行了RNA测序，以比较CIH大鼠（n = 4）和常氧对照组（n = 4）之间的表达谱，鉴定差异表达（DE）的circRNAs。在筛选候选circRNAs后，我们使用qRT-PCR验证了它们在4例OSA患者和4例对照中的表达。采用主成分分析（PCA）来确认这些circRNAs的诊断潜力。Miranda软件预测了靶微小RNA（miRNAs），并使用Cytoscape软件可视化circRNA-miRNA调控网络。我们总共鉴定出43种DE circRNAs，主要富集于蛋白质结合、细胞骨架组织和超分子复合物等功能。我们选择了8种与CIH相关的DE circRNAs在OSA患者（n = 4）和对照（n = 4）中进行验证，其中5种表现出显著的表达差异。这8种circRNAs在CIH组和对照组之间表现出不同的表达模式，表明它们在区分CIH情况方面具有潜在用途。值得注意的是，我们的分析确定mir-466b-3p在CIH背景下与DE circRNAs相关。总之，本研究描述了CIH大鼠中的circRNA表达谱，并鉴定了几种在CIH条件下表达改变的circRNAs。这些发现为进一步研究circRNA表达与CIH之间的关系指明了方向。
在线版本包含可在10.1007/s41105-025-00577-w获取的补充材料。
