A lncRNA Transcriptome Analysis of Phycocyanin-Treated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer A549 Cell Lines

Abstract

Phycocyanin is a type of marine food additive with multiple biological properties, including anticancer activity, but its underlying antineoplastic mechanism in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. To investigate the underlying regulatory mechanism of phycocyanin in NSCLC, a lncRNA microarray analysis was performed using a phycocyanin-treated A549 cell model. The classification and expression of lncRNAs were determined. The profiles of differentially expressed lncRNAs were generated and analyzed using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) analyses. The results showed that 193 lncRNAs were upregulated and 116 lncRNAs were downregulated in the phycocyanin-treated group compared with the control group, and qRT‒PCR analysis confirmed the expression of selected lncRNAs. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that the differentially expressed lncRNAs and their target genes were enriched in the extracellular region, epithelium development, NOD-like receptor pathway, Notch signaling, and apoptosis process. In addition, coexpression network analysis identified 2,238 lncRNA‒mRNA, lncRNA‒lncRNA, and mRNA‒mRNA pairs. In particular, 72 etc. differentially expressed lncRNA target genes were discovered in the interaction network, which provides insights into the potential mechanism of phycocyanin in A549 cells. Moreover, cell phenotype experiments showed that downregulating the expression of lncRNA ENST00000538717, a lncRNA that is downregulated after phycocyanin treatment, could significantly inhibit the migration and viability of A549 and H460 cells. In conclusion, this study lays a theoretical and potential foundation for NSCLC treatment and advances our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of phycocyanin.