Dysregulation of GAS5 and OIP5-AS1 lncRNAs in periodontitis

Abstract

Periodontitis as a multifactorial disorder has been associated with dysregulation of several genes which contribute in regulation of immune responses. Recently, a number of studies have addressed the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the pathogenesis of this disorder. In the current study, we evaluated expression of two lncRNAs, namely GAS5 and OIP5-AS1 in peripheral blood and tissues samples of patients with periodontitis and healthy subjects using quantitative real time PCR. Expression of GAS5 was significantly lower in blood samples obtained from patients with periodontitis compared with normal controls (Posterior beta of RE = −2.677, P value < 0.0001). When dividing study participants based on their gender, expression of this lncRNA was also lower in blood samples obtained from female patients compared with female controls (Posterior beta of RE = −3.22, P value = 0.006). However, the differences between male subgroups were insignificant. No significant difference was found in tissue expression of GAS5 between cases and controls. Besides, expression of OIP5-AS1 was significantly lower in blood samples of patients with periodontitis compared with normal controls (Posterior beta of RE = −1.794, P value = 0.015). When dividing study participants based on their gender, expression of OIP5-AS1 was lower in female patients compared with sex-matched controls (Posterior beta of RE = −1.901, P value = 0.032). Moreover, expression of this lncRNA was higher in female subjects compared with male subjects (Posterior beta of RE = 1.056, P value = 0.049). No significant correlation was found between expression of lncRNAs and age either between cases or controls. There were significant correlations between expressions of GAS5 and OIP5-AS1 both in affected tissues and in normal tissues (r = 0.51, P < 0.0001 and r = 0.73, P < 0.0001, respectively). Expression levels of these lncRNAs were correlated in blood samples of patients (r = 0.63, P value < 0.0001), but not healthy subjects (P = 0.29). Consequently, the results of the current study imply a possible role for these lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of periodontitis and warrants further functional investigations.