Screening and verification of the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network in muscle atrophy after spinal cord injury

Objective:To find the key targets of muscle atrophy after spinal cord injury(SCI)were excavated,to construct the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network based on bioinformatics analysis,and to verify the expression changes of key regulatory networks in muscle atrophy after SCI by animal experiments,so as to seek new research directions for the pathogenesis and treatment of muscle atrophy after SCI.Methods:The GSE21497 data set was downloaded from the GEO database for differential expression gene screening and WGCNA treatment.Combined with the online prediction database,key mRNAs were screened out.GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of key mRNAs were performed using the DAVID database to construct the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network.The key regulatory genes were selected and then verified by RT-qPCR.Results:A total of 1405 differentially expressed genes were screened,and 30 key mRNAs were predicted by the WGCNA and online database.GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that it was mainly enriched in the functions of neuron regeneration,protection,signal transmission,the HIF signaling pathway,PD-L1 expression and the PD-1 checkpoint pathway.Four key regulatory networks were identified(LINC00410/miR-17-5p/KCNK10,LINC00410/miR-17-5p/PCDHA3,LINC00410/miR-20b-5p/KCNK10,LINC00410/miR-20b-5p/PCDHA3).The results of RT-qPCR showed that,compared with the control group,the expression of miR-17-5p and miR-20b-5p in the observation group increased,and the expression of KCNK10 and PCDHA3 decreased.Conclusions:MiR-17-5p,miR-20b-5p,KCNK10,and PCDHA3 may play an important regulatory role in the regeneration,protection,and signal transmission of neurons,which is expected to become a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of muscle atrophy after SCI.