title: Long Non-Coding RNA Expression Profiling in Aging Rats with Erectile Dysfunction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Erectile dysfunction (ED) in aged people remains a topic of interest to andrological physicians. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which form the largest group of non-coding RNAs, have been shown to regulate various biological processes. The function of lncRNAs in age-related erectile dysfunction (A-ED) pathogenesis remains poorly understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study aims to assess the differential expression profiles of mRNAs and lncRNAs between A-ED and normal control (NC) samples. Using a second-generation lncRNA microarray, we detected a total of 8,744 lncRNAs and 13,585 coding transcripts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 608 up-regulated and 406 down-regulated lncRNAs in A-ED compared with NC samples, by setting a filter of fold-change >2.0. Gene Ontology and pathway analysis revealed that a muscle contraction disorder induced by abnormal ion channels might play a critical role in the pathogenesis of A-ED.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show significantly altered expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs between A-ED and NC. This study may provide information for further research on A-ED and may be helpful for finding a new therapeutic target for A-ED.
authors.forename: Lianjun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Jiehua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D015536:Down-Regulation; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D008297:Male; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000235:genetics*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding