m6A-Associated Long Non-Coding RNA as a Potential Diagnostic Biomarker for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective: To identify novel diagnostic biomarkers for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) by selecting m6A-associated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) through bioinformatics analysis.Methods: Multiple SLE datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The datasets were analyzed for m6A-related genes and lncRNAs. Differentially expressed m6A-associated lncRNAs were further investigated, and mRNAs co-expressed with these lncRNAs were subjected to KEGG pathway analysis, followed by ROC curve plotting. Results: A correlation was observed between six lncRNAs (ANKRD10-IT1, C2orf27A, EGOT, HCG18, POLR2J4, TCL6) and six m6A methyltransferases (RBM15, HNRNPA2B1, ZC3H13, YTHDF2, RBM15B, LRPPRC). The differential analysis indicated that lncRNA POLR2J4 and lncRNA ANKRD10-IT1 were significantly downregulated in SLE patients. ROC curve showed that lncRNA POLR2J4 had an AUC of 0.799 and lncRNA ANKRD10-IT1 had an AUC of 0.516. KEGG analysis revealed that proteins co-expressed with lncRNA POLR2J4 were enriched in T-cell receptor signaling pathways, Toll-like receptor signaling pathways, mTOR signaling pathways, and other SLE-related pathways. Those co-expressed with lncRNA ANKRD10-IT1 were involved in PI3K-Akt, mTOR, and cell apoptosis pathways.Conclusion: lncRNA POLR2J4 may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker for SLE.