Identification of hub lncRNAs correlated with tetralogy of fallot based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis

The most prevalent cyanotic congenital heart disease, Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), has an unknown etiology. Long-stranded non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been linked to cardiac development and congenital heart disease, as evidenced by an increasing number of studies; nevertheless, additional research is necessary to fully understand the function that TOF-related lncRNAs play in the condition. This study constructed lncRNA-mRNA co-expression networks, performed functional enrichment analysis, and screened hub lncRNAs using Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) using the Gene Expression Omnibus dataset GSE36761. Ten hub lncRNAs, including IRF1-AS1, AC012360.6, HLA-F-AS1, RP1-253P7.4, NPTN-IT1, RP11–166P13.4, RP5-1183I21.2, SNHG14, CH17-98J9.1, and RP11–894P9.1, were identified by WGCNA analysis as potentially significant contributors to the development of TOF. Based on functional enrichment analysis, lncRNA mainly contributes to TOF by altering gene splicing patterns. New insights on the mechanism underlying TOF occurrence are provided by identifying hub lncRNAs associated with the disease and analyzing their regulatory networks.