Long non-coding RNA (
lncRNA) plays a role in gene transcription,
protein expression and epigenetic regulation; and altered expression results in
cancer development.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is rare in children; and thus, this study profiled
lncRNA expression in bone marrow samples from pediatric AML patients. Arraystar Human
LncRNA Array V3.0 was used to profile differentially expressed lncRNAs in three bone marrow samples obtained from each pediatric AML patient and normal controls. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to confirm dysregulated
lncRNA expressions in 22 AML bone marrow samples. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed to construct the
lncRNA-
mRNA co-expression network. A total of 372 dysregulated lncRNAs (difference ≥10-fold) were found in pediatric AML patients compared to normal controls. Fifty-one
mRNA levels were significantly upregulated, while 85
mRNA levels were significantly downregulated by >10-fold in pediatric AML, compared to normal controls. GO terms and KEGG pathway annotation data revealed that cell cycle pathway-related genes were significantly associated with pediatric AML. As confirmed by qRT-PCR, expression of 24 of 97
lncRNA was altered in pediatric AML compared to normal controls. In pediatric AML, ENST00000435695 was the most upregulated
lncRNA, while ENST00000415964 was the most downregulated
lncRNA. Data from this study revealed dysregulated lncRNAs and mRNAs in pediatric AML versus normal controls that could form gene pathways to regulate cell cycle progression and immunoresponse. Further studies are required to determine whether these lncRNAs could serve as novel therapeutic targets and bbdiagnostic
biomarkers in pediatric AML.