LncRNA AWPPH is downregulated in osteoporosis and regulates type I collagen α1 and α2 ratio.

Normal ratio of type I collagen α1 to α2 (2:1) maintains normal bone microarchitecture. Altered ratios lead to formation of collagen homotrimers and deteriorated bone microarchitecture. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA AWPPH in osteoporosis. We observed that the expression of lncRNA AWPPH was downregulated in osteoporosis patients than that in healthy controls. Downregulated expression of lncRNA AWPPH distinguished osteoporosis patients from healthy controls. In vitro cell experiments showed that knockdown of lncRNA AWPPH led to upregulated α1 but downregulated expression of α2 in osteoblasts, which made the α1 to α2 ratio higher than 2:1. In contrast, overexpression of lncRNA AWPPH led to downregulated α1 but upregulated α2 in osteoblasts, which made the α1 to α2 ratio lower than 2:1. Therefore, lncRNA AWPPH is downregulated in osteoporosis and altered the expression of lncRNA AWPPH regulates type I collagen α1 and α2 ratio in osteoblasts.