LncRNA-mRNA co-expression analysis revealed 8 core lncRNAs in rheumatoid arthritis of collagen-induced arthritis rats

Backgrounds Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disease. Current studies suggest that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) may be key regulators in pathogenesis. Methods Analyzed lncRNAs and mRNAs using microarrays to find key differentially expressed lncRNAs in RA. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis together with coding non-coding co-expression (CNC) network was used for comprehensive analysis. Verify that their expression levels are consistent with the chip results by qRT-PCR. Results There are 268 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) and 286 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs). We found 8 core lncRNAs through the CNC network. Eight highly significantly differentially expressed lncRNAs corrected with microarray profiles. The functions and associated pathways of significantly differentially expressed lncRNAs were predicted by GO and KEGG analysis. They may be involved in the pathogenesis of RA. Conclusion The differential expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in the collagen-induced arthritis rat model preliminarily predicted functions through comprehensive analysis. However, its exact role and specific mechanism remain to be further studied.