NR_103776.1 as a novel diagnostic biomarker for systemic lupus erythematosus

Background With the development of sequencing technologies, there is increasing evidence that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The level of NR_103776.1 expression in SLE and its clinical associations are still not well defined. Objective To identify differentially expressed lncRNAs and explore their functional roles in SLE. Methods Transcriptome sequencing was used to screen differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs. Expression validation of clinical samples was performed by QRT-PCR. Bioinformatics was used to analyze its prognostic value and potential function. Results Of the 231 significantly differentially expressed lncRNAs, NR_103776.1 could be used to distinguish not only SLE patients and rheumatoid arthritis patients but also active SLE patients, stable SLE patients, and healthy controls. NR_103776.1 was significantly and negatively correlated with inflammatory indexes (CRP and ESR). NR_103776.1 dysregulation might contribute to the metabolism of RNA and proteins in SLE patients. Conclusions This study not only provided a transcriptome profile of lncRNAs aberrantly expressed in individual nucleated cells of SLE patients but also suggested NR_103776.1 as a novel potential diagnostic biomarker.