Synovitis in osteoarthritis (OA) the consequence of low grade inflammatory process caused by cartilage breakdown products that stimulated the production of pro-inflammatory mediators by fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). FLS participate in joint homeostasis and low grade inflammation in the joint microenvironment triggers FLS transformation. In the current study, we aimed to identify differentially expressed genes and potential miRNA regulations in human OA FLS through deep sequencing and bioinformatics approaches. The 245 differentially expressed genes in OA FLS were identified, and pathway analysis using various bioinformatics databases indicated their enrichment in functions related to altered extracellular matrix organization, cell adhesion and cellular movement. Moreover, among the 14 dysregulated genes with potential miRNA regulations identified, src kinase associated phosphoprotein 2 (SKAP2), adaptor related protein complex 1 sigma 2 subunit (AP1S2), PHD finger protein 21A (PHF21A), lipoma preferred partner (LPP), and transcription factor AP-2 alpha (TFAP2A) showed similar expression patterns in OA FLS and OA synovial tissue datasets in Gene Expression Omnibus database. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis identified the dysregulated LPP participated in cell migration and cell spreading of OA FLS, which was potentially regulated by miR-141-3p. The current findings suggested new perspectives into understanding the novel molecular signatures of FLS involved in the pathogenesis of OA, which may be potential therapeutic targets.
Keywords: fibroblast-like synoviocytes; messenger RNA, microRNA, bioinformatics; next-generation sequencing; osteoarthritis; synovitis.