Identification of long non-coding RNAs GAS5, linc0597 and lnc-DC in plasma as novel biomarkers for systemic lupus erythematosus

// Guo-Cui Wu 1, 2, * , Jun Li 1, 2, * , Rui-Xue Leng 1, 2 , Xiang-Pei Li 3 , Xiao-Mei Li 3 , De-Guang Wang 4 , Hai-Feng Pan 1, 2 , Dong-Qing Ye 1, 2 1 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China 2 The Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui, China 3 Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Anhui Provincial Hospital, Hefei, Anhui, China 4 Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China * These authors contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors Correspondence to: Hai-Feng Pan, email: panhaifeng@ahmu.edu.cn , panhaifeng1982@sina.com Dong-Qing Ye, email: ydq@ahmu.edu.cn , ydqahmu@gmail.com Keywords: biomarker, diagnosis, long non-coding RNA, systemic lupus erythematosus Received: August 04, 2016     Accepted: January 31, 2017     Published: February 21, 2017 ABSTRACT Despite increasing evidence that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) widely take part in human diseases, the role of lncRNAs in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is largely unknown. In this study, we performed a two-stage study to explore the plasma levels of five lncRNAs (GAS5, linc0949, linc0597, HOTAIRM1 and lnc-DC) and their potential as SLE biomarkers. Compared with healthy controls, plasma levels of GAS5 and lnc-DC were significantly decreased ( P < 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively) while linc0597 were overexpressed in SLE patients ( P < 0.001). When SLE patients were divided into SLE without nephritis and lupus nephritis (LN), the levels of lnc-DC were significantly higher in LN compared with SLE without nephritis ( P = 0.018), but no significant difference in levels of GAS5 and linc0597 were found between LN and SLE without nephritis; plasma linc0949 level showed no significant difference in all comparisons. Further evaluation on potential biomarkers showed that GAS5, linc0597 and lnc-DC may specifically identify patients with SLE, the combination of GAS5 and linc0597 provided better diagnostic accuracy; lnc-DC may discriminate LN from SLE without nephritis. In summary, GAS5, linc0597 and lnc-DC in plasma could be potential biomarkers for SLE.