Microarray analysis of long non-coding RNAs related to microRNA-148b in gastric cancer.

The miR-148/152 family (miR-148a, miR-148b, miR-152) is differentially expressed in gastric cancer tissues and non-tumor tissues. Our previous studies indicated that miR-148/152 family is important in the tumorigenesis and development of gastric cancer. We also found several target genes that were regulated by the miR-148/152 family and several factors that could influence members of this family. However, the molecular mechanisms and function of this family in gastric cancer remain unclear. Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to play an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases. The aim of the present study was to perform expression profiling to identify lncRNAs that might be associated with miR-148b in gastric cancer and predict their potential functions. Total RNA was extracted from gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 treated with miR-148b mimics and from untreated gastric cancer cells. Microarray analysis was performed using the Agilent LncRNA + mRNA Human Gene Expression Microarray V3.0 platform, which was designed for the profiling of human lncRNAs and protein-coding transcripts. A total of 37581 lncRNA and 34303 mRNA transcripts were detected in gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 and cell line SGC-7901 treated with miR-148b mimics. Among the differentially expressed lncRNAs, 240 up-regulated and 64 down-regulated lncRNAs were identified. XLOC_000983 was the most up-regulated lncRNA, and M18204.1 was the most down-regulated lncRNA. Among the differentially expressed mRNAs in different cell lines, 196 were consistently up-regulated and 320 were consistently down-regulated. POSTN was the most up-regulated mRNA, and HBB was the most down-regulated mRNA. Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway analyses indicated that the lncRNAs influenced by miR-148b might play an important role in the immune system and were associated with the development of gastric cancer. The altered expression of lncRNAs influenced by miR-148b may play a partial role in pathways implicated in gastric cancer development and progression, such as the immune response pathway.