Expression of remyelination-modulating genes in astrocytes are controlled by MALAT1 and Lnc-DC long non-coding RNAs

Abstract

Astrocyte-secreted factors play multifunctional roles in central nervous system (CNS) in health and disease. Here, we examined the regulatory machinery of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) on gene expression of several factors of great importance in remyelination - CNTF, NT-3, FGF2 and PDGF-C - in human astrocytoma cell line via in silico and experimental studies. To know any expression correlations among these genes as well as their changes in inflammatory conditions, their expression was measured under H2O2 induction. Using available databases, a computational screening was performed to collect lncRNAs having the potentiality of regulating expression of the target genes. MALAT1 and Lnc-DC were selected as high potential expression regulators of four genes of the study among 40 lncRNAs that were evaluated bioinformatically. Downregulation of remyelination-modulating genes of interest under DNAzyme-induced suppression of MALAT1 or Lnc-DC verified the regulatory role of these lncRNAs. More detailed information on expression regulatory machinery of lncRNAs and remyelination-modulating genes in inflammatory conditions could pave the way for understanding the reasons of their inefficiency in demyelinating diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS).