Aberrant Expression of Long Non-coding RNAs in Exosomes in Follicle Fluid From PCOS Patients.

Liping Wang,Yinggang Zou,Xujing Chen,Qiuyue Yuan,Xiaomei Zhang,Hengmi Cui,Hairui Fan,Xuming Hu,Chunhui Zhu

doi:10.3389/fgene.2020.608178

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive endocrine disease characterized by persistent anovulation and hyperandrogenism, affecting approximately 8–10% of women of childbearing age and occupying an important position in the etiology of infertility. There is increasing evidence that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the development of PCOS, but the potential regulatory mechanism is still unclear. This study performed high-throughput lncRNA sequencing of follicular fluid exosomes in non-PCOS infertility patients and PCOS infertility patients. The sequencing results led to the identification of 1,253 upregulated and 613 downregulated lncRNAs from a total of 1,866 detected candidates. There was no significant difference between the PCOS patients and non-PCOS patients in body mass index (BMI) or the fasting blood glucose (FBG) level. However, luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), serum prolactin (PRL), and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels were clearly upregulated in PCOS patients compared to those in non-PCOS patients. There was also an increase in LH/FSH (>2) in the PCOS patients. Functional analysis showed pathways related to endocytosis, the Hippo, the MAPK, and HTLV-1 infection. These results suggest that lncRNAs may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PCOS and may be potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of PCOS.

Highlights

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive endocrine disease in women of childbearing age, accounting for 70–80% of patients with ovulatory disorders, and plays an important role in the etiology of infertility (Ehrmann, 2005)
In light of the above considerations, we argue that it is important to screen and identify specific markers associated with the pathogenesis of PCOS
Our results showed that endocytosis, the Hippo signaling pathway, the MAPK signaling pathway, and HTLV-1 infection could be targeted by differential long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and contribute to PCOS pathogenesis

Summary

Introduction

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive endocrine disease in women of childbearing age, accounting for 70–80% of patients with ovulatory disorders, and plays an important role in the etiology of infertility (Ehrmann, 2005). PCOS is characterized by its phenotypical heterogeneity, in which patients often exhibit diverse symptoms such as menstrual irregularities, amenorrhea, abnormal hair growth, or hair loss as well as obesity (Jaliseh et al, 2017; Blagojevicet al., 2018). PCOS symptoms in patients coupled with those of other metabolic disorders and infertility could lead to disturbances of social and family life. Previous scientific data have urged the combination of genetic and environmental factors to explore molecular mechanisms in PCOS patients (Chen et al, 2011; Rutkowska and DiamantiKandarakis, 2016). Diagnosis and treatment are desirable for PCOS patients. In light of the above considerations, we argue that it is important to screen and identify specific markers associated with the pathogenesis of PCOS

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