ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) reveals new mechanisms for interactions between RNAs. However, knowledge of ceRNA regulatory networks in macrophages infected with Talaromyces marneffei (T. marneffei, TM) is still limited. This study aims to explore the expression profiles of lncRNA, miRNA and mRNA, and the changes of ceRNA network related to immunity, inflammation, metabolism in TM-infected macrophage. METHODS: Next-generation sequencing technology (NGS) was used to obtain mRNA, miRNA and lncRNA expression profiles in TM-infected macrophages and normal macrophages. Cuffdiff and DESeq2 software packages are used to identify differentially expressed lncRNA, miRNA and mRNA. The function enrichment analysis was performed by GOseq package in R platform, and the lncRNA–miRNA–mRNA interaction ceRNA network was established in Cytoscape. Functional enrichment analysis was performed on genes contained in the ceRNA network, and genes significantly enriched in functional pathways were selected for qRT-PCR verification. RESULTS: A total of 119 lncRNAs, 28 miRNAs and 208 mRNAs were identified as differentially expressed RNAs in TM-infected macrophages. Among them, 38 lncRNAs, 10 miRNAs and 109 mRNAs are contained in the ceRNA regulatory network. GO analysis and KEGG pathway of mRNA in the ceRNA network showed that macrophages infected with TM activated pathways and functions related to immune response, metabolic response and inflammatory response. Select genes that are significantly abundant in GO analysis and KEGG pathway. The core genes were selected for quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to verify consistency with the sequencing results. Eight groups of ceRNAs consisting of 3 mRNAs, 5 lncRNAs, and 2 miRNAs were verified. They are mRNA CSF3, IL24, LIF. lncRNA IL6R-AS1, LINC02009, AC068831.1, AC006252.1, LINC02466. These genes may be involved in immune response and inflammatory response-related pathways and functions in TM-infected macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: The CeRNA network plays an important role in understanding the mechanism of TM infection in macrophages. This study may provide effective and novel insights for further understanding the underlying mechanism of Talaromyces marneffei.
