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LncRNA-mRNA co-expression network revealing the regulatory roles of lncRNAs in melanogenesis in vitiligo

Journal of Human Genetics volume 67, pages 247–252 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Vitiligo is characterized by the progressive disappearance of melanocytes, resulting in depigmentation. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs that play an essential role in the regulation of inflammation and immunity. Published reports on the expression profile of lncRNAs in vitiligo cases and the potential biological function of lncRNAs in vitiligo are lacking. We performed RNA-Seq to identify the functions of lncRNAs in vitiligo. In total, 32 upregulated lncRNAs and 78 downregulated lncRNAs were identified in skin lesions with vitiligo. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis demonstrated that mRNAs regulated by abnormally expressed lncRNAs are most relevant to melanocyte function and melanogenesis. We identified 14 aberrantly expressed lncRNAs through the co-expression pattern that regulate the melanogenesis-related genes DCT, TYR, and TYRP1. Therefore, we speculate that these hub genes may be involved in pathological mechanisms in melanocytes in vitiligo. These genes are closely related to melanogenesis in vitiligo. Abnormally expressed lncRNAs directly or indirectly act on these target genes to regulate melanogenesis. Identifying lncRNAs and clarifying the regulatory roles of the lncRNA-mRNA network may be helpful to develop novel diagnoses or treatment targets for vitiligo.

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Data availability

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by funding from National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81960562), Self-Funded Scientific Research Project of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Health Committee (No. Z20210931), and the Guangxi Natural Science Foundation (No. 2019GXNSFBA185018).

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Kunchi Pang, Yanju Xiao, Lili Li.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Guangxi Acadmey of Medical Sciences, People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, PR China

    Kunchi Pang, Yanju Xiao, Lili Li, Guanjing Wei, Xiliang Qian, Tianmin Li, Yun Guo, Jielian Chen & Yuhong Tang

  2. Department of Intensive Care Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, PR China

    Xianfeng Chen

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  1. Kunchi Pang
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Contributions

LLL conceived and wrote the paper. PKC, XYJ, and LLL designed and performed the research. CXF, WGJ, QXL, LTM, and GY analyzed the data. CJL and TYH contributed essential reagents or tools. All authors read and approved the paper.

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Correspondence to Lili Li.

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Pang, K., Xiao, Y., Li, L. et al. LncRNA-mRNA co-expression network revealing the regulatory roles of lncRNAs in melanogenesis in vitiligo. J Hum Genet 67, 247–252 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s10038-021-00993-z

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