Screening and analysis of plasma differential lncRNA/mRNA in early pregnancy of preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to characterise the expression profiles of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) in plasma samples from individuals with preeclampsia (PE) during early pregnancy (7-14 weeks of gestation). We sought to identify key signalling pathways and biological functions linked to these transcripts and evaluate their potential for early PE diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.

METHODS

From January to June 2019, we analysed frozen plasma samples from eight PE patients and eight normotensive pregnant women matched for gestational age. Transcriptome sequencing was performed using the Illumina HiSeq 4000 platform. Differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were identified with thresholds of |fold change (FC)| ≥ 2 and P ≤ 0.05. Functional enrichment analyses (Gene Ontology [GO] and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes [KEGG]) were conducted to elucidate associated pathways, and a lncRNA-mRNA coexpression network was constructed to explore regulatory interactions.

RESULTS

We identified 361 significantly dysregulated lncRNAs (171 up- and 190 down-regulated) and 3,798 mRNAs (3,320 up- and 478 down-regulated). Top dysregulated transcripts included ENST00000440816 (lncRNA, log2FC = +175.29) and TEX35 (mRNA, log2FC = +8.70). Gene Ontology analysis revealed enrichment in inflammatory response, cell adhesion, and transferase activity, while Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways implicated phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling. Coexpression networks highlighted strong associations between dysregulated transcripts and oxidative stress/inflammatory processes.

CONCLUSION

Early-pregnancy plasma lncRNAs and mRNAs are markedly dysregulated in PE and correlate with pathogenic pathways. Notably, lncRNAs with |log2FC| ≥ 5 and mRNAs with |log2FC| ≥ 6 may serve as novel biomarkers for early PE prediction.