Downregulation of long non-coding RNAs LINC00523 and LINC00994 in type 2 diabetes in an Iranian cohort.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a subclass within the non-coding RNA repertoire that have potential roles in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the biological function and molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in T2DM remain largely unknown. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between LINC00523 and LINC00994 expressions and T2DM susceptibility in an Iranian cohort. In this case-control study, we obtained whole blood and serum samples from 100 T2DM patients and 100 healthy subjects. We extracted peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from whole blood samples using Ficoll-Hypaque density-gradient centrifugation. Total RNA was extracted from the PBMC lysates by using the TRIzol-LS reagent (GeneAll). Finally, a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay was used to detect LINC00523 and LINC00994 lncRNA expression levels in the 200 samples. LINC00523 and LINC00994 expressions significantly decreased in patients with T2DM compared to the healthy participants, with a fold change for LINC00523 of 0.157 and 0.159 for LINC00994. We observed a significant inverse correlation between the expressions of these lncRNAs with FBS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that LINC00523 has a higher area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.7430 and a lower P-value (P < 0.0001), in addition to a sensitivity of 81.44% and specificity of 61.11%. Therefore, LINC00523 could be considered a potential diagnostic biomarker for T2DM. Decreased expressions of LncRNAs LINC00523 and LINC00994 in T2DM is possibly associated with pathogenicity of T2DM in Iranian population. Moreover, LINC00523 can perhaps be considered as effective diagnostic biomarkers for T2DM.