Differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs and mRNAs in patients with IgA nephropathy

Long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to serve a crucial role in renal diseases; however, their role in immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) remains unclear. In the present study, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from both patients with IgAN and healthy controls. A microarray analysis was then performed to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in PBMCs, which were confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In addition, Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway and lncRNA‑mRNA co‑expression network analyses were conducted. The present study identified 167 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 94 differentially expressed mRNAs. Numerous GO terms, including innate immune response, inflammatory response, IPAF inflammasome complex and UDP‑galactose:β‑N‑acetylglucosamine β‑1, and 3‑galactosyltransferase activity, were significantly enriched in the differentially expressed mRNAs. The top five KEGG signaling pathways included nucleotide‑binding oligomerization domain‑like receptor signaling pathway, hematopoietic cell lineage, inflammatory bowel disease, tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway and other types of O‑glycan biosynthesis. In addition, a total of 149 lncRNAs were shown to interact with 7 mRNAs that were associated with the 'innate immune response' GO term. The results of the present study demonstrated that differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs may have a role in the development of IgAN. These results may aid in the elucidation of a basic pathogenic mechanism, the identification of possible biomarkers and the generation of potential novel treatment strategies for IgAN.