Expression profile analysis of long non-coding RNAs involved in the metformin-inhibited gluconeogenesis of primary mouse hepatocytes

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to regulate metabolic tissue development and function, including adipogenesis, hepatic lipid metabolism, islet function and energy balance. However, the role of lncRNAs in gluconeogenesis remains completely unknown. Metformin reduces glucose output mainly via the inhibition of gluconeogenesis. In the present study, the lncRNA expression profile of primary mouse hepatocytes exposed to cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), a gluconeogenic stimulus, with or without metformin was analyzed by microarray. Among the 22,016 lncRNAs that were identified, 456 were upregulated and 409 were downregulated by cAMP (fold-change ≥2.0). Furthermore, the cAMP-induced upregulation of 189 lncRNAs and downregulation of 167 lncRNAs was attenuated by metformin. The expression levels of eight lncRNAs were validated by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and the results were consistent with those of the microarray analysis. Among them, two lncRNAs NR_027710 and ENSMUST00000138573, were identified to have an association with two protein coding genes, namely peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α, a critical transcriptional coactivator in gluconeogenesis, and G protein-coupled receptor 155, respectively. The two protein coding genes exhibited similar expression patterns to their associated lncRNAs. The findings of the present study suggest that lncRNAs are potentially involved in the regulation of gluconeogenesis.