Abnormal level of VDR-associated lncRNAs in patients with multiple sclerosis

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) influence pathoetiology of multiple sclerosis (MS). We identified expression levels of three vitamin D receptor-associated lncRNAs, namely SNHG6, SNHG16 and LINC00346 in the blood of MS patients compared with healthy subjects. SNHG6 level was significantly lower in MS cases compared with controls (expression ratio (ER) (95 % CI)= 0.39 (0.22–0.69), P = 0.0015) and in female patients compared with female controls (ER (95 % CI)= 0.28 (0.13–0.59), P = 0.0001). SNHG16 was also under-expressed in total MS patients compared with controls (ER (95 % CI)= 0.24 (0.1–0.57), P = 0.0001). LINC00346 level was lower in entire patients versus controls (ER (95 % CI)= 0.03 (0.009–0.09), P < 0.0001). Such down-regulation was also detected in patients of both sexes compared with corresponding controls (P = 0.0008 and <0.0001 for males and females, respectively). There was no difference in expressions of SNHG6, SNHG16 and LINC00346 between male and female patients. There was no remarkable correlation between expressions of SNHG6, SNHG16 and LINC00346 lncRNAs and age, disease duration, age at onset or EDSS. LINC00346 had the AUC values of 0.84, 0.82 and 0.94 in differentiation of total MS patients from total controls, female patients from healthy females and male patients from healthy males, respectively. SNHG6 could separate female patients from female controls with AUC of 0.79. Finally, female patients from female controls could be separated by SNHG16 levels with AUC of 0.73. Taken together, these lncRNAs might be proposed as putative peripheral markers for MS.