Long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to serve a crucial role in renal diseases; however, their role in immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) remains unclear. In the present study, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from both patients with IgAN and healthy controls. A microarray analysis was then performed to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in PBMCs, which were confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In addition, Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway and lncRNA‑mRNA co‑expression network analyses were conducted. The present study identified 167 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 94 differentially expressed mRNAs. Numerous GO terms, including innate immune response, inflammatory response, IPAF inflammasome complex and UDP‑galactose:β‑N‑acetylglucosamine β‑1, and 3‑galactosyltransferase activity, were significantly enriched in the differentially expressed mRNAs. The top five KEGG signaling pathways included nucleotide‑binding oligomerization domain‑like receptor signaling pathway, hematopoietic cell lineage, inflammatory bowel disease, tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway and other types of O‑glycan biosynthesis. In addition, a total of 149 lncRNAs were shown to interact with 7 mRNAs that were associated with the 'innate immune response' GO term. The results of the present study demonstrated that differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs may have a role in the development of IgAN. These results may aid in the elucidation of a basic pathogenic mechanism, the identification of possible biomarkers and the generation of potential novel treatment strategies for IgAN.

Background. Liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) in proximal tubules was reported to have renoprotective roles in experimental tubulointerstitial diseases via its anti-oxidative properties. Since tubuloglomerular cross-talk was recently discussed in the progression of renal diseases, to investigate whether tubular L-FABP may have an impact on the progression of glomerular damage, we induced IgA nephropathy (IgAN) in mice (Tg) transgenically tubular overexpressing human L-FABP (hL-FABP). Methods. We reconstituted IgAN by bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from IgAN-prone mice into Tg and wild-type (WT) mice. Renal damage was evaluated at 6 and 12 weeks after BMT. During in vitro experiments, mesangial cells (MC) were stimulated by aggragated IgA (AIgA), and their supernatants (AIgA-MC medium) were collected. Stable cell line of mouse proximal tubular cell (mProx) transfected with or without hL-FABP gene was cultured with the AIgA-MC medium. Results. Although mesangial IgA deposition and serum IgA level were not different between WT (WT/ddY) and Tg (Tg/ddY) recipients, WT/ddY mice showed a significantly higher urinary albumin level and mesangial matrix expansion with a significantly higher glomerular damage score. Furthermore, CD68 + macrophage infiltration was also significantly attenuated in Tg/ddY mice. Up-regulation of renal hL-FABP was associated with significant suppression of renal heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression and accumulation of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) and MCP-1 expression in Tg/ddY mice. In vitro experiments showed that AIgA-MC medium and recombinant TNF-α significantly up-regulated hL-FABP expression, which was partially blocked by anti-TNF-α antibody, and major mediators of oxidative stress (HO-1 and 4-HNE) and inflammation (MCP-1). Importantly, such up-regulation of the mediators in mProx with hL-FABP was significantly suppressed much more than that in mProx. Conclusions. Tubular L-FABP activated by MC-origin humoral factors may lessen progression of glomerular damage at early stages of IgAN by reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators.