A Preliminary Analysis of LncRNA Biomarkers for Schizophrenia

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with schizophrenia (SZ) and the relationships among their expression, antipsychotic efficacy and SZ severity. Method: The diagnostic and predictive value of nine lncRNAs, Gomafu, DISC2, PSZA11, AK096174, AK123097, DB340248, uc011dma.1, ENST00000509804-1 and ENST00000509804-2, was investigated in 48 patients with SZ before and after antipsychotic treatment. Results:Gomafu, AK096174, AK123097, DB340248, uc011dma.1, ENST00000509804-1 and ENST00000509804-2 were individually and collectively associated with, and predictive of, SZ pathogenesis. Moreover, increased expression of plasma AK123097, uc011dma.1 and ENST00000509804-1 levels was reversed after 12 weeks of antipsychotic treatment, which was associated with SZ severity. Conclusion: Seven lncRNAs serve as novel biomarkers for SZ diagnosis and prognosis and three lncRNAs are potential therapeutic targets.

Lay abstract

In previous schizophrenia (SZ) studies, many long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to be expressed differently in patients with SZ compared with healthy controls. This suggests that lncRNAs are involved in the development of SZ. However, there is limited information about the relationship between lncRNAs and symptoms in SZ. The diagnostic and predictive value of nine lncRNAs was studied in 48 patients with SZ before and after antipsychotic treatment. The results indicated some of these lncRNAs may be useful in predicting outcomes of antipsychotic treatments in patients with SZ. This is important for future research developing biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of SZ.

Keywords::

• antipsychotic treatment
• biomarker
• diagnosis
• lncRNA expression
• long noncoding RNA
• pathogenesis
• prognosis
• schizophrenia

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-2021-0223

Author contributions

Y Xu and Y Ren designed the study. J Jia, XF Liu, LN Ma and Y Ren performed or contributed to the experiments. J Jia, XF Liu and LN Ma recruited samples. Y Xu and Y Ren performed the analyses. J Jia drafted the first manuscript. Y Xu and Y Ren revised the manuscript. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely thank the research staff and the patients, their families and healthy volunteers for their participation.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81971601 and 8210053813), applied basic research projects of Shanxi Province, China (201901D111418) and programs of science and technology for returnees of the department of human resources and social security of Shanxi Province, China ([2019]91). 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.

We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.cn) for English language editing.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained approval from The Medical Research Ethics Committee of Shanxi Medical University ([2019] Y01) and have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

Data sharing statement

The manuscript reports the original results of a clinical trial. The data used to support the findings of this study are included in the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81971601 and 8210053813), applied basic research projects of Shanxi Province, China (201901D111418) and programs of science and technology for returnees of the department of human resources and social security of Shanxi Province, China ([2019]91). 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. We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.cn) for English language editing.