Gene expression profiling of long noncoding RNAs in myelodysplastic syndromes

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) present a wide range of hematopoietic stem cell disorders with a tendency to evolve into acute leukemia. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play multiple roles in hematopoiesis, contributing to the pathogenesis of hematologic malignancies and representing a new class of biomarkers and therapeutic targets. We aimed to characterize lncRNAs deregulated in MDS that may function in the disease pathogenesis and those that could serve as novel potential biomarkers of the disease. We performed a microarray expression profiling of lncRNAs and protein-coding genes (PCGs) in CD34+ bone marrow cells of MDS patients. Expression profiles were generated to analyze lncRNA expression with relation to different aspects of the disease (i.e., diagnosis, disease subtypes, cytogenetic and mutational aberrations, and risk of progression). Gene expression profiles of lncRNAs together with protein-coding genes were examined in CD34+ bone marrow cells isolated from a cohort of 54 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, 14 patients with acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes, and 9 healthy donors.