@Article{biocell.2023.028199,
AUTHOR = {CHUYAO WANG, CHUAN LU, LUXIANG ZOU, DONGMEI HE},
TITLE = {Bioinformatic analysis of lncRNA-associated competing endogenous RNA regulatory networks in synovial tissue of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis},
JOURNAL = {BIOCELL},
VOLUME = {47},
YEAR = {2023},
NUMBER = {6},
PAGES = {1293--1306},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/biocell/v47n6/52796},
ISSN = {1667-5746},
ABSTRACT = {<b>Background:</b> Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) is an end-stage disease that seriously affects
the patients’ quality of life. Molecular insights in advancing our understanding of TMJOA are the need of the hour.
<b>Methods:</b> We performed RNA high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of differentially expressed
(DE) long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and messenger RNA (mRNAs) in human synovial
TMJOA tissues. Firstly, synovium samples of TMJOA patients and non-TMJOA controls were collected for highthroughput sequencing of lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs. We then performed biological function analysis of the top
100 mRNAs with more than 2-fold differential expression, and their upstream regulated miRNAs and lncRNAs were
predicted separately. Intersections between predicted miRNAs/lncRNAs and differentially expressed miRNAs/
lncRNAs were determined, respectively. Regulatory networks among the selected lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs
were constructed. Finally, Western Blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTqPCR) were used to explore the function of selected lncRNA and mRNAs. <b>Results:</b> Our analysis showed that the only
upregulated lncRNAxist, was involved in intracellular protein degradation, cartilage matrix degradation, and osteoclast
differentiation through four regulatory axes: <i>miR-1271-5p/ctsb</i>, <i>miR-365a-3p/mmp3</i>, <i>miR-199a-3p/fos</i>, and <i>miR-27b-3p/
miR-1271-5p/grb2</i>. RT-qPCR results showed that <i>xist</i> expression increased in both TMJOA synovial tissue and
inflammatory-stimulated synovial cells. Inhibition of <i>xist</i> could promote the proliferation of synovial cells upon
inflammatory stimulation, and <i>xist</i> could positively regulate the expression of GRB2. Targeting GRB2 could inhibit
the expression of matrix degrading enzymes in synovial cells, thereby attenuating the inflammatory environment.
<b>Conclusion:</b> Given the current lack of reports of lncRNA regulation in TMJOA synovitis, our results revealed that
<i>xist</i> was significantly differentially expressed in human synovial TMJOA and could regulate the expression of GRB2,
which may play a role in the progression of TMJOA.},
DOI = {10.32604/biocell.2023.028199}
}