The potential role of long noncoding RNAs in primary open-angle glaucoma.

Objective: To identify the potential genes in human trabecular meshwork (TM) related to primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Methods: First, long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) and mRNA expression profiles in TM samples from 4 control subjects and 4 POAG patients were accessed by microarray analyses. Then, twenty lncRNAs were validated by real-time quantitative PCR in the same samples from microarray analyses. Finally, eight highly expressed lncRNAs were further tested by real-time quantitative PCR in TM from 8 normal controls and 19 POAG patients. Expression data were normalized and analyzed using the R software. Pathway analyses were performed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis.

Results: A total of 2179 lncRNAs and 923 mRNAs in the TM of POAG patients were significantly upregulated, and 3111 lncRNAs and 887 mRNAs were significantly downregulated. ENST00000552367, ENST00000582505, ENST00000609130, NR_029395, NR_038379, and ENST00000586949 expression levels were significantly higher in the TM from a different cohort of POAG patient than normal controls.

Conclusions: ENST00000552367, ENST00000582505, ENST000006091- 30, NR_029395, NR_038379, and ENST00000586949 may play essential roles in the development of POAG.