We used high-throughput RNA sequencing to analyze differential gene and lncRNA expression patterns in the lower thoracic spinal cord during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) in rats. We observed that of 32662 mRNAs, 4296 out were differentially expressed in the T8-12 segments of the spinal cord upon I/R-induced AKI. Among these, 62 were upregulated and 34 were downregulated in response to I/R (FDR < 0.05, |log2FC| > 1). Further, 52 differentially expressed lncRNAs (35 upregulated and 17 downregulated) were identified among 3849 lncRNA transcripts. The differentially expressed mRNAs were annotated as “biological process,” “cellular components” and “molecular functions” through gene ontology enrichment analysis. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that cell cycle and renin-angiotensin pathways were upregulated in response to I/R, while protein digestion and absorption, hedgehog, neurotrophin, MAPK, and PI3K-Akt signaling were downregulated. The RNA-seq data was validated by qRT-PCR and western blot analyses of select mRNAs and lncRNAs. We observed that Bax, Caspase-3 and phospho-AKT were upregulated and Bcl-2 was downregulated in the spinal cord in response to renal injury. We also found negative correlations between three lncRNAs (TCONS_00042175, TCONS_00058568 and TCONS_00047728) and the degree of renal injury. These findings provide evidence for differential expression of lncRNAs and mRNAs in the lower thoracic spinal cord following I/R-induced AKI in rats and suggest potential clinical applicability.

No abstract

The high incidence of patients with chronic itch highlights the importance of fundamental research. Recent advances in the interface of gut microbiota have shed new light into exploring this phenomenon. However, it is unknown whether gut microbiota plays a role in chronic itch in rodents with or without cognitive dysfunction. In this study, the role of gut microbiota in diphenylcyclopropenone (DCP)-evoked chronic itch was investigated in mice and hierarchical cluster analysis of novel object recognition test (ORT) results were used to classify DCP-evoked itch model in mice with or without cognitive dysfunction (CD)-like phenotype and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing was used to compare gut bacterial composition between CD (Susceptible) and Non-CD phenotypes (Unsusceptible) in chronic itch mice. Results showed that the microbiota composition was significantly altered by DCP-evoked chronic itch and chronic itch induced novel object recognition-related CD. However, abnormal gut microbiota composition induced by chronic itch may not be correlated with novel object recognition-related CD.