Analysis of circRNA and miRNA profiles in type-1 diabetic retinopathy

Abstract Purpose Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a microangiopathy of the retina, from which nearly all people with diabetes eventually suffer. However, its pathogenic mechanism remains to be elucidated. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are endogenous non-coding RNAs that have recently been recognized to play vital roles in DR. This study aimed to explore the role of circRNAs and microRNA (miRNA) in the pathogenesis of DR and to analyze the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulation network. Methods Sixty rats were randomly assigned to the diabetic and control groups. The retina tissues were extracted for next-generation RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. Results A total of 830 circRNAs and 37 miRNAs were differentially expressed in the two groups. Aberrantly expressed genes that may be enriched in the glutamatergic synapse GABAergic synapse, morphine addiction, phosphatidylinsitol signaling pathway, tight junctions, and dopaminergic synapse were revealed by functional annotation. The circRNA-miRNA co-expression networks and the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA co-regulated competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network were constructed. Novel-circRNA_0007196 was selected as the target gene. Conclusions Different coding and non-coding RNA profiles and genes in the co-regulation network are likely to play essential roles in DR. This study provides new insights into the pathogenic mechanisms and pathological processes of early DR.