Epidermal long non-coding RNAs are regulated by ultraviolet irradiation

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes the harmful effects on skin by the photochemical reaction and gene expression regulation. Recent evidences have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in a diverse range of biological functions. However, research on the effects of UV irradiation on lncRNA expression in epidermal cells is limited. The aim of this study was to identify changes in the expression profile of lncRNAs after UVB irradiation. To accomplish this, we performed a microarray analysis of both mRNA and lncRNA expression levels in irradiated skin cells. Gene ontology (GO) analysis of differentially expressed mRNAs showed that the expression of immune response- and cell membrane-related genes was up-regulated, while cell-cell adhesion-associated genes were down-regulated by UVB irradiation. Moreover, we found that lncRNAs up-regulated by UVB irradiation were associated with the regulation of gene transcription, while lncRNAs down-regulated by UVB irradiation were associated with tumorigenesis. Finally, we compiled a list of the lncRNAs that showed the strongest association with the development of non-melanoma skin cancers caused by UV exposure. These findings lay a foundation for future investigations into the expression patterns of lncRNAs with roles in the response to UV irradiation and in non-melanoma skin cancers.