COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, poses significant threats to the respiratory system and other vital organs. Long non-coding RNAs have emerged as influential epigenetic regulators and promising biomarkers in respiratory ailments. The objective of this study was to identify candidate lncRNAs in SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals compared to SARS-CoV-2-negative individuals and investigate their potential association with ARDS-CoV-2 (acute respiratory distress syndrome). Employing qRT-PCR, we meticulously examined the expression profiles of a panel comprising 84 inflammation-related lncRNAs in individuals presenting upper respiratory infection symptoms, categorizing them into those testing negative or positive for SARS-CoV-2. Notably, first-phase PSD individuals exhibited significantly elevated levels of AC000120.7 and SENP3-EIF4A1. In addition, we measured the expression of two lncRNAs, AC000120.7 and SENP3-EIF4A1, in patients with ARDS unrelated to SARS-CoV-2 (n = 5) and patients with ARDS induced by SARS-CoV-2 (ARDS-CoV-2, n = 10), and interestingly, expression was also higher among patients with ARDS. Intriguingly, our interaction pathway analysis unveiled potential interactions between lncRNA AC000120.7, various microRNAs, and genes associated with inflammation. This study found higher expression levels of lncRNAs AC000120.7 and SENP3-EIF4A1 in the context of infection-positive COVID-19, particularly within the complex landscape of ARDS.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; acute respiratory distress syndrome; long non-coding RNA.