Integrating the lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles of TLR4-primed mesenchymal stem cells in ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract

Background Our previous study found that the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients was significantly different from that of healthy donors. The goals of this study were to explore the expression profiles and functional networks of lncRNAs and mRNAs in TLR4-primed mesenchymal stromal cells from AS patients (AS-MSCs) and to clarify the mechanisms by which TLR4-primed MSCs exert immunoregulatory effects in AS. Methods Firstly, the immunoregulatory effects of MSCs were determined after TLR4 activation. Then, the differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and mRNAs between the control group (AS-MSCs without stimulation) and experimental group (AS-MSCs stimulated with lipopolysaccharide) were identified through high-throughput sequencing followed by qRT-PCR confirmation. Finally, bioinformatic analyses were performed to identify the critical biological functions, signalling pathways and associated functional networks involved in the TLR4-primed immunoregulatory function of AS-MSCs. Results TLR4-primed AS-MSCs showed a strong ability to inhibit the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with 1 µg/ml LPS stimulation for 4 hours. A total of 147 DE lncRNAs and 698 DE mRNAs were identified between TLR4-primed AS-MSCs and unstimulated AS-MSCs. Significant fold changes in lncRNA and mRNA levels were confirmed by qRT-PCR. GO and KEGG analysis demonstrated that the DE mRNAs and lncRNAs were highly associated with the inflammatory response. Cis-regulation prediction revealed 9 novel lncRNAs while trans-regulation prediction revealed 15 lncRNAs, respectively. Conclusions Our research describes the lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles and functional networks in TLR4-primed AS-MSCs, which is supposed to enhance the understanding of the pathogenesis of AS-MSC immunoregulatory dysfunction.