Analyses of lncRNA and mRNA profiles in the recurrent atrial fibrillation after Catheter Ablation

Our study aims to elucidate the role of lncRNA-mRNA regulatory networks in AF recurrence after catheter ablation. We performed RNA sequencing to profile the transcriptomes of 5 samples from atrial fibrillation recurrence and 5 samples from sinus rhythm maintenance. 96 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 203 differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (DE-lncRNAs) were identified between atrial fibrillation recurrence group and sinus rhythm maintenance group. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that DEGs were enriched in “regulation of immune response”, and “regulation of immune system process” for biological processes (BP), enriched in “extracellular matrix”, “cell-cell junction” for cellular components (CC), and enriched in “signaling adaptor activity”, “protein-macromolecule adaptor activity” for molecular functions (MF). For KEGG analysis, DEGs are associated with “PI3K-Akt signaling pathway”, “MAPK signaling pathway”. 9 hub genes (MMP9, IGF2, FGFR1, HSPG2, GZMB, PEG10, GNLY, COL6A1, and KCNE3) were identified through the Protein-Protein Interaction network. LncRNA-TMEM51-AS1-201 was identified as a core regulator and may impact AF recurrence after catheter ablation by regulating “COL6A1, FGFR1, HSPG2, and IGF2.” To elucidate the potential mechanisms behind AF recurrence after catheter ablation, a long-term follow-up study was conducted on AF patients who had undergone catheter ablation. Patients were categorized into two groups based on whether AF recurred or was maintained in sinus rhythm after catheter ablation, with 5 individuals in each group. Fasting blood samples were collected for RNA-seq.