Dysregulated lncRNA and mRNA may promote the progression of ischemic stroke via immune and inflammatory pathways: results from RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis

Background Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely involved in gene transcription regulation and which act as epigenetic modifiers in many diseases. Objective To determine whether lncRNAs are involved in ischemic stroke (IS), we analyzed the expression profile of lncRNAs and mRNAs in IS. Methods RNA sequencing was performed on the blood of three pairs of IS patients and healthy controls. Differential expression analysis was used to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) and mRNAs (DEmRNAs). Based on the co-expression relationships between lncRNA and mRNA, a series of bioinformatics analysis including GO and KEGG enrichment analysis and PPI analysis, were conducted to predict the function of lncRNA. Results RNA sequencing produced a total of 5 DElncRNAs and 144 DEmRNAs. Influenza A pathway and Herpes simplex infection pathway were the most significant pathways. EP300 and NFKB1 were the most important target proteins, and Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) family were the key genes in IS. Conclusions Analysis of this study revealed that dysregulated lncRNAs in IS may lead to IS by affecting the immune and inflammation system.