lncRNA CDKN2B-AS1 associated to ventricular fibrillation during acute myocardial infarction

Abstract Introduction Sudden death (SD) due to ventricular fibrillation (VF) during acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the leading causes of death in Western societies. However, the pathophysiology of the disease is not well defined. Recently, it has been proposed that non-coding RNA (ncRNA) may play a determinant role in the genesis of different diseases. In fact, alterations in the expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been associated with different types of arrhythmias and, also, with acute coronary syndrome. However, little is known about the role of lncRNAs in VF in AMI. Purpose The aim of this preliminary study is to identify lncRNAs associated to VF in AMI. Methods This preliminary study included 24 patients with AMI, 12 with clinically proven VF and 12 without VF. Expression of 10 lncRNAs (CDKN2B-AS1, KCNQ1OT1, MT-LIPCAR, MALAT1, MIAT, NEAT1, SLC16A1-AS1, LNC-TK-2–4, TNFRSF14-AS1, UCA1) and 2 Housekeeping (ACTB and RPLP0) were analyzed using real-time PCR (qPCR). The Fold Change value with a logarithm transformation [log 2 (2–ΔΔCq)] was calculated. The D'Agostino & Pearson and Shapiro-Wilk test and an unpaired t-test were performed in Graphpad-Prism and Qbase programs. Results The lncRNA “cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2B antisense noncoding RNA” (CDKN2B-AS1), also named as ANRIL, showed a significantly lower expression in patients that with VF during AMI (2–ΔΔCq (IQ): Control = 1.099 [0.634–1.583] vs FV=0.507 [0.221–1.022], P=0.018). It is important to note that this lncRNA has been previously associated to myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases as atherosclerosis and hypertension. Conclusions Our preliminary results suggest that lncRNA CDKN2B-AS1 could be related to the presence of VF during AMI. Most research must be done to clarify the role of lncRNA in the pathophysiology of VF during AMI. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): Sociedad Española de Cardiología