Methamphetamine induces alterations in the long non-coding RNAs expression profile in the nucleus accumbens of the mouse

Background: Repeated exposure to addictive drugs elicits long-lasting cellular and molecular changes. It has been reported that the aberrant expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is involved in cocaine and heroin addiction, yet the expression profile of lncRNAs and their potential effects on methamphetamine (METH)-induced locomotor sensitization are largely unknown. Results: Using high-throughput strand-specific complementary DNA sequencing technology (ssRNA-seq), here we examined the alterations in the lncRNAs expression profile in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of METH-sensitized mice. We found that the expression levels of 6246 known lncRNAs (6215 down-regulated, 31 up-regulated) and 8442 novel lncRNA candidates (8408 down-regulated, 34 up-regulated) were significantly altered in the METH-sensitized mice. Based on characterizations of the genomic contexts of the lncRNAs, we further showed that there were 5139 differentially expressed lncRNAs acted via cis mechanisms, including sense intronic (4295 down-regulated and one up-regulated), overlapping (25 down-regulated and one up-regulated), natural antisense transcripts (NATs, 148 down-regulated and eight up-regulated), long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs, 582 down-regulated and five up-regulated), and bidirectional (72 down-regulated and two up-regulated). Moreover, using the program RNAplex, we identified 3994 differentially expressed lncRNAs acted via trans mechanisms. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed that the predicted cis- and trans- associated genes were significantly enriched during neuronal development, neuronal plasticity, learning and memory, and reward and addiction. Conclusions: Taken together, our results suggest that METH can elicit global changes in lncRNA expressions in the NAc of sensitized mice that might be involved in METH-induced locomotor sensitization and addiction.