Novel Insights Toward Human Stroke-Related Epigenetics: Circular RNA and its Impact in Poststroke Processes

Abstract

Aim: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are dysregulated in complex diseases, so we investigated their global expression profile in stroke. Material&methods: Public RNA-Seq data of human ischemic stroke lesion tissues and controls were used to perform the global expression analysis. Target RNA binding proteins and microRNAs were predicted in silico. Functional enrichment analysis was performed to infer the circRNAs’ potential roles. Results: We found that circRNAs are potentially involved in synaptic components and transmission, inflammation and ataxia. An integrative analysis revealed that hsa_circ_0078299 and FXN may be major players in the molecular stroke-context. Conclusion: Our results suggest a broad involvement of circRNAs in some stroke-related processes, indicating their potential as therapeutic targets to allow neuroprotection and brain recovery.

Keywords::

• ataxia
• biomarker
• circular RNA
• epigenetics
• FXN
• hsa_circ_0078299
• inflammation
• ischemic stroke
• neuroprotection
• RNA-Seq

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/epi-2020-0128

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Federal University of Para (PA, Brazil) for all the support. They also thank E Paschoal for his encouragement in studying stroke.

Financial&competing interests disclosure

This study was financially supported by Conselho Nacional do Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Coordenaçãode Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), Fundação Amparo e Desenvolvimento da Pesquisa (FADESP) and Pro-Reitoria de Pesquisa (PROPESP) of Universidade Federal do Para (UFPA). This work is part of Rede de Pesquisa em Genômica Populacional Humana (Biocomputacional – Protocol no. 3381/2013/CAPES). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financially supported by Conselho Nacional do Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Coordenaçãode Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), Fundação Amparo e Desenvolvimento da Pesquisa (FADESP) and Pro-Reitoria de Pesquisa (PROPESP) of Universidade Federal do Para (UFPA). This work is part of Rede de Pesquisa em Genômica Populacional Humana (Biocomputacional – Protocol no. 3381/2013/CAPES). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.