Identification of age- and gender-associated long noncoding RNAs in the human brain with Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age- and gender-associated brain disorder. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as key regulators of brain development, homeostasis, and pathologies. Here, we used gene array data sets and bioinformatics analysis to identify differentially expressed age- and gender-associated lncRNAs in human AD brains. We found that the expressions of 16 age-associated and 13 gender-associated lncRNAs were dysregulated in AD brains. Notably, the expressions of age-associated lncRNAs—SNHG19 and LINC00672—were significantly correlated with Braak stage of AD, positively and negatively, respectively, whereas the expressions of gender-associated lncRNAs—RNF144A-AS1, LY86-AS1, and LINC00639—were negatively correlated with Braak stage of AD. Functional analysis suggests that the pathways involved in neurodegenerative diseases, synaptic vesicle cycle, and endocytosis were overly represented within age- and gender-associated lncRNA-correlating genes. The identification of age- and gender-associated lncRNAs and their differential expressions in the human AD brain provide potential targets for further experimental validation and mechanistic investigation, which could, in turn, pave the way for developing age- and gender-specific prevention and adjunctive therapeutic options for patients with AD.