MicroRNA-126 and 146a as potential biomarkers in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with secondary antiphospholipid syndrome

Serum miRNA-21, miRNA-146a and plasma cell free DNA as novel biomarkers for assessing systemic lupus erythematosus activity

BACKGROUND

MicroRNA and cell-free DNA have shown significant correlations with several autoimmune disorders including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE has been associated with challenges in determining its activity, so that the need for biomarkers contributing to assessing its activity is emerging. The current study investigated miRNA-21, miRNA-146a and plasma cf-DNA in determination of SLE activity, in addition their association with clinical data including complement factor 3 (C3), complement factor(C4), anti-dsDNA, and other disease activity indices.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Eighty subjects divided into; twenty active patients (with SLE-DAI2K score of 16-18) twenty inactive patients (with SLE-DAI2K score of 1-3), and forty healthy control participants) were included in this study. Serum miR-21, miR-146a, and plasma cf-DNA were quantified by real time PCR and their correlation with clinical data was statistically analyzed. The results demonstrated that active cases have significant upregulation of serum miRNA-21 and plasma cf-DNA. Moreover, miR-21 showed a negative, significant pertaining to C3, C4 and was positively related to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2 K score (SLE-DAI Index2K score) and Systemic-Lupus-Erythematosus-Disease Activity-Index 2 K activity (SLE-DAI 2 K activity). Also, Active group miRNA-146a was negatively, significantly correlated with C3, as well as a positive significant relationship with SLE-DAI2K score and SLEDAI 2 K activity, in addition to anti DNA Autoantibodies. Furthermore, miR-21 and cf-DNA demonstrated a differential value through Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve's study.

CONCLUSIONS

the present study illustrated miR-21, miR-146a, and cf-DNA relationship with SLE clinical data. In addition to their potential value in SLE diagnosis, and activity determination.

The emerging role of noncoding RNAs in systemic lupus erythematosus: new insights into the master regulators of disease pathogenesis

Auto-immune diseases are a form of chronic disorders in which the immune system destroys the body's cells due to a loss of tolerance to self-antigens. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), identified by the production of autoantibodies in different body parts, is one of the most well-known examples of these diseases. Although the etiology of SLE is unclear, the disease's progression may be affected by genetic and environmental factors. As studies in twins provide adequate evidence for genetic involvement in the SLE, other phenomena such as metallization, histone modifications, and alterations in the expression of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) also indicate the involvement of epigenetic factors in this disease. Among all the epigenetic alterations, ncRNAs appear to have the most crucial contribution to the pathogenesis of SLE. The ncRNAs' length and size are divided into three main classes: micro RNAs, long noncoding RNAs (LncRNA), and circular RNAs (circRNAs). Accumulating evidence suggests that dysregulations in these ncRNAs contributed to the pathogenesis of SLE. Hence, clarifying the function of these groups of ncRNAs in the pathophysiology of SLE provides a deeper understanding of the disease. It also opens up new opportunities to develop targeted therapies for this disease.

Crosstalk between miR-146a and pro-inflammatory cytokines in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

microRNA-146a (miR-146a) plays an essential role in immune anomalies and organ injury of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by regulating the disease's inflammation and complications. Here, we analyzed the expression of miR-146a in SLE and a panel of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, and TNF-α). Association between all measured parameters and the disease's clinical manifestation and response to treatment was monitored. Our study populations were 113 SLE patients and 104 healthy volunteers. miR-146a expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was measured by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). The content of the plasma cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, and TNF-α) was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Compared with healthy controls, miR-146a expression was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in lupus patients. The analysis of the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) of miR-146a showed 91% sensitivity and 70% specificity. IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17 cytokines were significantly increased (p < 0.001), while IL-8 and TNF-α were significantly decreased (p < 0.001) in SLE patients against controls. The expression of miR-146a and TNF-α was upregulated considerably in SLE patients with severe disease activity. miR-146a expression was positively correlated with IL-6. Our results pointed to the elevation of miR-146a as a trade marker of SLE patients. Reduction of IL-8 and TNF-α in combination with an elevation of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17 might refer to miR-146a's dual effect in controlling inflammation in lupus. Although we shed some light on the role of miR-146a in SLE, further study is recommended to improve our results.

Apoptotic protease activating factor-1 gene and MicroRNA-484: A possible interplay in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence suggests that dysregulated apoptosis might be implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of the current study was to evaluate the expression of Apoptotic protease activating factor-1 (APAF1) mRNA and its potential regulator miR-484 in relapsing remitting MS patients (RRMS) and to investigate their role as potential disease biomarkers.

METHODS

After Bioinformatic analysis was conducted and revealed miR-484 involvement in the regulation of APAF-1 gene expression. Reverse Transcription-quantitative Real-Time PCR (RT-qPCR) was performed to detect the expression levels of APAF-1 and miR-484 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 34 RRMS patients recruited from the MS clinic of kasr al ainy hospital- faculty of medicine-Egypt and 34 healthy controls.

RESULTS

APAF-1 mRNA was significantly downregulated in patients whereas miR-484 expression was upregulated compared to controls (p < 0.01). Sensitivity and specificity of APAF-1 and miR-484 to diagnose MS was (85.3%, 76.5%) and (88.2% and 86.7%) respectively.

CONCLUSION

APAF-1 and miR-484 could play a role as potential MS diagnostic biomarkers. However, absence of a control group of patients with other inflammatory diseases in our study warrants further research to corroborate our findings.

A comprehensive review on miR-146a molecular mechanisms in a wide spectrum of immune and non-immune inflammatory diseases

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-strand endogenous and non-coding RNA molecules with a length of about 22 nucleotides, which regulate genes expression, through modulating the translation and stability of their target mRNAs. miR-146a is one of the most studied miRNAs, due to its central role in immune system homeostasis and control of the innate and acquired immune responses. Accordingly, abnormal expression or function of miR-146a results in the incidence and progression of immune and non-immune inflammatory diseases. Its deregulated expression pattern and inefficient function have been reported in a wide spectrum of these illnesses. Based on the existing evidence, this miRNA qualifies as an ideal biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis, and activity evaluation of immune and non-immune inflammatory disorders. Moreover, much attention has recently been paid to therapeutic potential of miR-146a and several researchers have assessed the effects of different drugs on expression and function of this miRNA at diverse experimental, animal, besides human levels, reporting motivating results in the treatment of the diseases. Here, in this comprehensive review, we provide an overview of miR-146a role in the pathogenesis and progression of several immune and non-immune inflammatory diseases such as Rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic lupus erythematosus, Inflammatory bowel disease, Multiple sclerosis, Psoriasis, Graves' disease, Atherosclerosis, Hepatitis, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc., discuss about its eligibility for being a desirable biomarker for these disorders, and also highlight its therapeutic potential. Understanding these mechanisms underlies the selecting and designing the proper therapeutic targets and medications, which eventually facilitate the treatment process.