Noncoding RNA Transcripts Based Molecular Phenotyping of MASLD and MASH Patients.

Background and Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a progressive hepatic metabolic disorder characterized by excessive fat accumulation in hepatocytes. MASLD can advance to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). These conditions often lead to hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) if not timely diagnosed and managed; thus, molecular phenotyping of MASLD and MASH conditions is highly desirable. The analyses were performed to identify distinct, differentially expressed genes, particularly noncoding ones, in MASLD and MASH patient samples, thereby expanding diagnostic and therapeutic options. Methods: We extracted the data from a recent transcriptomic study by Govaere et al. on MASLD and MASH patient samples. We focused on transcripts with limited coding potential to broaden the scope of biomarker or therapeutic target identification, given their very specific expression patterns. Results: This analysis identified long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that are differentially expressed among MASLD and MASH conditions. Among the up-regulated lncRNAs, 49 were specific to MASLD, such as Conclusion: This study broadens the scope of noncoding RNA-based MASLD/MASH biomarker and therapeutic target identification, which ultimately aids early diagnosis of these prominent liver diseases and helps prevent advanced liver diseases such as HCC.