Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a common and destructive orthopedic disease, of which the pathogenesis mechanism remains elusive. Limited studies have been conducted to investigate the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in subchondral bone in ONFH. This study aimed to profile differential expression of circRNAs and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in subchondral bone obtained from ONFH patients by next-generation sequencing, and explore the potential regulatory relationship of these molecules in ONFH by bioinformatics analysis. As a result, we detected 74 aberrantly expressed circRNAs and 121 differentially expressed mRNAs. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses indicated several vital biological processes and signaling pathways, which are primarily related to osteogenic capacity influenced by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Furthermore, attempting construction of protein-protein interaction network with 57 aberrant genes and competing endogenous RNA network with 3 selected circRNAs preliminarily revealed the regulatory roles and the relationships of these molecules in ONFH. In addition, the potential association of circRNAs in our networks with the molecular mechanism of ONFH was validated by real time-quantitative PCR. In conclusion, our findings may promote understanding the mechanism of ONFH, and offer a novel insight into early diagnosis and intervention of ONFH.

中文翻译：

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股骨头坏死的软骨下骨中环状RNA和信使RNA表达谱及竞争性内源RNA网络

股骨头坏死（ONFH）是一种常见的破坏性骨科疾病，其发病机理仍然难以捉摸。已经进行了有限的研究来研究环状RNA（circRNA）在ONFH软骨下骨中的作用。这项研究旨在通过下一代测序分析从ONFH患者获得的软骨下骨中circRNA和Messenger RNA（mRNA）的差异表达，并通过生物信息学分析探索这些分子在ONFH中的潜在调控关系。结果，我们检测到74个异常表达的circRNA和121个差异表达的mRNA。《基因本体论》和《京都议定书》的《基因与基因组百科全书》途径富集分析表明，一些重要的生物学过程和信号传导途径 这主要与成骨细胞和破骨细胞影响的成骨能力有关。此外，尝试构建具有57个异常基因的蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用网络以及与3个选定的circRNA竞争内源性RNA网络初步揭示了这些分子在ONFH中的调控作用及其相互关系。此外，实时定量PCR验证了我们网络中circRNA与ONFH分子机制的潜在关联。总之，我们的发现可能促进对ONFH机理的了解，并为ONFH的早期诊断和干预提供新的见解。尝试构建具有57个异常基因的蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用网络以及与3个选定的circRNA竞争内源性RNA网络初步揭示了这些分子在ONFH中的调控作用及其相互关系。此外，实时定量PCR验证了我们网络中circRNA与ONFH分子机制的潜在关联。总之，我们的发现可能促进对ONFH机理的了解，并为ONFH的早期诊断和干预提供新的见解。尝试构建具有57个异常基因的蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用网络以及与3个选定的circRNA竞争内源性RNA网络初步揭示了这些分子在ONFH中的调控作用及其相互关系。此外，实时定量PCR验证了我们网络中circRNA与ONFH分子机制的潜在关联。总之，我们的发现可能促进对ONFH机理的了解，并为ONFH的早期诊断和干预提供新的见解。