MiR-155 expression is a potential biomarker of systemic lupus erythematosus diagnosis and disease activity prediction

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.

Association between genetic variants of microRNA-21 and microRNA-155 and systemic lupus erythematosus: A case-control study from a Chinese population

Background

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common autoimmune disease, and its pathogenesis remains unclear. The alteration of genetic materials is believed to play a role in SLE development. This study evaluated the association between the genetic variants of microRNA‐21 (miR‐21) and microRNA‐155 (miR‐155) and SLE.

Methods

The SNaPshot genotyping method was used to detect the genotypes of selected SNPs in patients and controls. The expression of miR‐21 and miR‐155 was analyzed using reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR). The functional annotation and the biological effects of SNPs were assessed by HaploReg V4.1 and Regulome DB V2.0 software. The Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium test was used to gather statistics, and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were evaluated by logistic regression.

Results

The distribution difference of TA genotype in rs767649 was observed (TA vs. T/T: OR = 0.68, 95%CI, 0.48–0.95, p = 0.026). There was a significant difference in the T/A + A/A (T/A + A/A vs. T/T: OR = 0.68, 95%CI, 0.49–0.94, p = 0.020). A significant difference in T allele distribution was found in the depressed complement of SLE (T vs. A: OR = 0.67, 95%CI, 0.47–0.95, p = 0.026). There were significant differences in genetic variants of rs13137 between the positive and the negative SSB antibodies (Anti‐SSB) (T vs. A: OR = 0.67, 95%CI, 0.47–0.95, p = 0.026; T/A + T/T vs. AA: OR = 2.23, 1.18–4.49, p = 0.013). The expression levels of miR‐21 and miR‐155 were significantly higher in patients than in controls (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

This study provides novel insight that genetic variants of rs767649 and rs13137 are associated with susceptibility to SLE.