LncRNA NEAT1 promotes IL-6 secretion in monocyte-derived dendritic cells via sponging miR-365a-3p in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Increasing evidence has uncovered the essential roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in biological and pathological functions of dendritic cells (DCs) among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, whether lncRNA nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 () could modulate DCs, especially in the inflammation of SLE, remains largely unknown. Fifteen SLE patients and fifteen age-matched healthy controls were included, and their monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) were cultured in vitro. Our research identified that the expression of was significantly increased in moDCs of SLE patients and positively correlated with disease activity. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) from both plasma and secreted supernatants of moDCs was also elevated in the SLE group. In addition, regulation of in moDCs by transfection could lead to the corresponding change in IL-6 generation. While for , a micro-RNA that can bind with the 3' UTR region of and , it may serve as a negative modulator since its overexpression could result in the reduction of IL-6 levels and vice versa. Additionally, the elevation in expression could increase the secretion of IL-6 by specifically binding to , reducing the negative modulatory effects of on the target gene, which suggested that elevated expression could function as the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA). In conclusion, our findings indicate that can efficiently sponge to upregulate expression and secretion of IL-6 in moDCs, suggesting that the axis may be involved in the development of SLE disease.