Abstract
Background:
Increasing evidence has demonstrated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in a variety of human diseases. However, the functions of circRNAs in lung injury induced by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remain unknown. Here, we performed RNA sequencing to analyze the circRNA expression profile in a mouse model of OSA-induced lung damage and investigated the relevant mechanisms.
Methods:
The mouse model of OSA treated by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) was established. We assessed the expression profiles of circRNAs by RNA-sequencing. Bioinformatic analyses, including Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, were further performed by us to predict the potential roles of circRNAs. Meanwhile. we confirmed the changes in circRNAs by qRT-PCR. Finally, a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network was constructed.
Results:
We found 31 upregulated and 53 downregulated circRNAs in CIH-induced lung injury. The qRT-PCR validated that the 7 selected circRNAs were identical to the results of RNA-seq. Both GO and KEGG analysis were further employed to annotate the potential functions of dysregulated circRNAs. Finally, we established a ceRNA network to predict the target genes of circRNAs.
Conclusions:
In summary, the results of our study first revealed the expression profiles and potential functions of differentially expressed circRNAs in OSA-induced lung injury in mice. This may provide new clues for studying the mechanisms underlying this disease, and present novel molecular targets for clinical therapy of OSA-associated lung disease.
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