Comprehensive analysis of differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in aged mice. Mus musculus

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA molecules with a transcript length of more than 200 nucleotides, which do not encode proteins (non-coding), yet they participate in the regulation of gene expression through multiple mechanisms in the form of RNA. A total of 51 lncRNAs and 21 mRNAs whose expression changed significantly, were identified. Five deregulated lncRNAs and five mRNAs were confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 10 paired samples. Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed to explore the principal functions of the deregulated genes. Furthermore, correlated expression networks of coding-noncoding co-expression (CNC) was constructed by using bioinformatics methods. We predicted the potential targets of lncRNAs by using bioinformatics methods. In summary, novel lnRNAs were identified as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for POCD treatment. Overall design: In this study, we comprehensively compared the expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNA in 6 hippocampal tissues from POCD mice and 6 hippocampal tissues from control mice by microarray. Mice from the POCD group were experienced tibia fracture surgery, mice from the control group did not receive any prior treatment or surgery.