Identification of Long Noncoding RNAs Associated With the Clinicopathological Features of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Complicated With Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a significant role in cancer biology. This study aimed to determine the roles of lncRNAs in establishing the differences in clinical features between patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) without Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and patients with PTC and HT. In the present study, we detected the differentially expressed lncRNAs between tumor tissues of patients with PTC with or without HT through lncRNA microarrays. The data were verified and analyzed through qRT-PCR, cell viability, cell cycle and bioinformatics analyses. We found that 1031 lncRNAs and 1338 mRNAs were abnormally expressed in 5 tissue samples of PTC complicated with HT [PTC/HT (+)] compared with 5 samples of PTC without HT [PTC/HT (-)]. Gene Ontology and pathway analyses of the mRNAs suggested that several biological processes and pathways, particularly immune system processes, were induced in the PTC/HT (+) tissues. Twenty lncRNAs were verified in 31 PTC/HT (+) and 64 PTC/HT (-) specimens by qRT-PCR, and the results were consistent with the microarray data. Specifically, ENST00000452578, a downregulated lncRNA in PTC/HT(+), was negatively correlated with the tumor size. Cell viability assays revealed that ENST00000452578 could inhibit cell proliferation. Our results indicate that lncRNAs and mRNAs play an important role in establishing the different clinical characteristics between patients with PTC/HT(+) and patients with PTC/HT(-), and might provide new insights from the perspective of RNA for obtaining a further understanding of the clinical features related to PTC with HT.

Automated summary

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs play important roles in different clinical features of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with or without Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). The differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in PTC/HT (+) tissues suggest the involvement of immune system processes. One lncRNA, ENST00000452578, was found to be negatively correlated with tumor size and could inhibit cell proliferation.