Aim: To identify differential mRNA and ncRNA expression profiles and competing endogenous RNA-associated regulatory networks during the progression of atherosclerosis (AS). Materials & methods: We systematically analyzed whole-transcriptome sequencing of samples from different stages of AS to evaluate their long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), circular RNA (circRNA), miRNA and mRNA profiles. Results: We constructed three AS-related competing endogenous RNA regulatory networks of differentially expressed circRNAs, lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses revealed that the circRNAs in the network were enriched in lipid metabolic processes and participated in the PPAR signaling pathway. Furthermore, lncRNAs were related to receptor activity, myofibrils and cardiovascular system development. Conclusion: The current findings further clarified the regulatory mechanisms at different stages of AS and may provide new ideas and targets for AS.
Keywords: atherosclerosis; ceRNA network; competing endogenous RNAs; ncRNAs; whole-transcriptome sequencing.