Whole-transcriptome analysis of rat cavernosum and identification of circRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks to investigate nerve injury erectile dysfunction pathogenesis.

Abstract

There is growing evidence that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a vital role in many kinds of diseases, including erectile dysfunction (ED). Nevertheless, the role of circRNAs in cavernous nerve-damaging ED (CNI-ED) is unknown. Here, we aimed to discover novel circRNAs, probed their potential role in the CNI-ED, and construct a ceRNA network of circRNAs. Twelve male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 2 groups by us: bilateral cavernous nerve crush (BCNC) and control groups. Four weeks after surgery, the spongy smooth muscle tissue of the rat penis was sequenced using high-throughput full transcriptome sequencing. We analyzed the expression of circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in the two groups. Twenty circRNAs with significantly different expressions were selected for RT-qPCR. CeRNA network of circRNAs was established using Cytoscape. GO and KEGG analysis was done by R package. Sequencing showed that 4,587 circRNAs, 762 miRNAs, and 21,661 mRNAs were dysregulated in the BCNC group. The top 20 differentially expressed circRNAs were further verified via RT-qPCR. The ceRNA network contained ten circRNAs, six miRNAs, and 227 mRNAs, including 23 circRNA-miRNA pairs and 227 miRNA-mRNA pairs. GO and KEGG analysis suggested that these ten circRNAs could main regulate energy metabolism processes. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed with the mRNAs in ceRNA network, and five hub genes were identified. Our study revealed a potential link between circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in CNI-ED, suggesting that circRNAs may contribute to the occurrence of ED by regulating the cellular energy metabolism in CNI-ED.

• Authors: Jie Huang, Jianxiong Ma, Jie Wang, Ke Ma, Kang Zhou, Wenjie Huang, Fan Zhao, Bodong Lv, Qing Hu
• Journal: Bioengineered (Bioengineered) Vol. 12 Issue 1 Pg. 6516-6528 (12 2021) ISSN: 2165-5987 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 34461805 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• RNA, Circular
• RNA, Messenger

Topics

• Animals
• Computational Biology
• Energy Metabolism (genetics)
• Erectile Dysfunction (genetics, metabolism)
• Male
• Penis (innervation, metabolism)
• Peripheral Nerve Injuries (metabolism)
• RNA, Circular (genetics, metabolism)
• RNA, Messenger (genetics, metabolism)
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Transcriptome (genetics)