Non-Coding RNAs as Blood-Based Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Disease

Comprehensive Quality Analysis of Conventional and Novel Biomarkers in Diagnosing and Predicting Prognosis of Coronary Artery Disease, Acute Coronary Syndrome, and Heart Failure, a Comprehensive Literature Review

Coronary artery disease (CAD), acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and heart failure (HF) are major global health issues with high morbidity and mortality rates. Biomarkers like cardiac troponins (cTn) and natriuretic peptides (NPs) are crucial tools in cardiology, but numerous new biomarkers have emerged, proving increasingly valuable in CAD/ACS. These biomarkers are classified based on their mechanisms, such as fibrosis, metabolism, inflammation, and congestion. The integration of established and emerging biomarkers into clinical practice is an ongoing process, and recognizing their strengths and limitations is crucial for their accurate interpretation, incorporation into clinical settings, and improved management of CVD patients. We explored established biomarkers like cTn, NPs, and CRP, alongside newer biomarkers such as Apo-A1, IL-17E, IgA, Gal-3, sST2, GDF-15, MPO, H-FABP, Lp-PLA2, and ncRNAs; provided evidence of their utility in CAD/ACS diagnosis and prognosis; and empowered clinicians to confidently integrate these biomarkers into clinical practice based on solid evidence.

A Comprehensive Review on Circulating cfRNA in Plasma: Implications for Disease Diagnosis and Beyond

Circulating cfRNA in plasma has emerged as a fascinating area of research with potential applications in disease diagnosis, monitoring, and personalized medicine. Circulating RNA sequencing technology allows for the non-invasive collection of important information about the expression of target genes, eliminating the need for biopsies. This comprehensive review aims to provide a detailed overview of the current knowledge and advancements in the study of plasma cfRNA, focusing on its diverse landscape and biological functions, detection methods, its diagnostic and prognostic potential in various diseases, challenges, and future perspectives.

The regulation of circRNA and lncRNAprotein binding in cardiovascular diseases: Emerging therapeutic targets

Noncoding ribonucleic acids (ncRNAs) are a class of ribonucleic acids (RNAs) that carry cellular information and perform essential functions. This class encompasses various RNAs, such as small nuclear ribonucleic acids (snRNA), small interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNA) and many other kinds of RNA. Of these, circular ribonucleic acids (circRNAs) and long noncoding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs) are two types of ncRNAs that regulate crucial physiological and pathological processes, including binding, in several organs through interactions with other RNAs or proteins. Recent studies indicate that these RNAs interact with various proteins, including protein 53, nuclear factor-kappa B, vascular endothelial growth factor, and fused in sarcoma/translocated in liposarcoma, to regulate both the histological and electrophysiological aspects of cardiac development as well as cardiovascular pathogenesis, ultimately leading to a variety of genetic heart diseases, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, rheumatic heart disease and cardiomyopathies. This paper presents a thorough review of recent studies on circRNA and lncRNAprotein binding within cardiac and vascular cells. It offers insight into the molecular mechanisms involved and emphasizes potential implications for treating cardiovascular diseases.

Circulating microRNA levels differ in the early stages of insulin resistance in prepubertal children with obesity

AIMS

The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity escalates the risk for related complications. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have been suggested as good predictive markers of insulin resistance in those with obesity. The aim was to identify a circulating miRNA profile that reflects insulin resistance in prepubertal children with obesity.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Plasma miRNAs were measured in prepubertal children (n = 63, 5-9 years) using TaqMan Advanced miRNA Human Serum/Plasma plates and then were validated by RT-qPCR. Subjects were divided into normal weight (n = 20, NW) and overweight or obese (n = 43, OW/OB) groups according to their BMI z-scores. The OW/OB group was further subdivided into insulin sensitive or metabolically healthy obese (n = 26, MHO) and insulin resistant or metabolically unhealthy obese (n = 17, MUO) according to HOMA-IR.

KEY FINDINGS

While no differences were observed in the fasting plasma glucose levels, serum insulin levels were significantly elevated in the OW/OB compared to the NW group. Of 188 screened miRNAs, eleven were differentially expressed between the NW and OW/OB groups. Validation confirmed increased circulating levels of miR-146a-5p and miR-18a-5p in the OW/OB group, which correlated with BMI z-score. Interestingly, miR-146a-5p was also correlated with HOMA-IR index. While only miR-18a-5p was upregulated in the OW/OB children, independently of their degree of insulin sensitivity, miR-146-5p, miR-423-3p and miR-152-3p were associated with insulin resistance.

SIGNIFICANCE

The present study provides evidence of molecular alterations that occur early in life in prepubertal obesity. These alterations may potentially be crucial for targeted prevention or prompt precision therapeutic development and subsequent interventions.

Circulating Non-Coding RNAs as Potential Diagnostic Biomarkers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with high morbidity and mortality. The clinical diagnosis of HCC mainly depends on imaging technology, such as ultrasound and computed tomography, and serum biomarkers, such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). However, HCC is still hard to diagnose at an early stage due to the low sensitivity of the above mentioned traditional methods. Typically, HCC is diagnosed at an advanced stage when limited treatment options are available. It is urgent to identify effective biomarkers for the early diagnosis of HCC. Increasing evidence uncovered ncRNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), could be used in HCC diagnosis. The aim of this review is to summarize our understanding of circulating miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs as fluid-based non-invasive biomarkers, and aiming at providing new insights into the diagnosis of HCC.

Kitchen ventilation alleviated adverse associations of domestic fuel use and long-duration cooking with platelet indices as biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases

BACKGROUND

Abnormal platelet activity is considered as a potential mechanism of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) related to household air pollution (HAP). However, evidence remains lacking for the association of HAP with platelet activity in low-middle income countries.

METHODS

27,349 individuals were obtained from the Henan Rural Cohort Study. A questionnaire was used to collect data on cooking fuel types, cooking frequency and time as well as kitchen ventilation which indirectly reflected HAP. Platelet activity was indicated by platelet count (PLT), platelet distribution width (PDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), ratio of mean platelet volume to platelet count (MPVP), platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR) and plateletcrit (PCT). Associations of HAP with platelet activity were assessed by generalized linear mixed models.

RESULTS

Compared with the ones without cooking, participants who cooking using solid fuel, clean fuel, short- and long-duration cooking were at a high risk for increased platelet size (PDW, MPV, MPVP and P-LCR) but decreased PLT and PCT; long-duration cooking participants with non-using exhaust hood/extractor by solid fuel use were associated with a 0.259 f. (95%CI: 0.100, 0.418 fL), 0.115 f. (95%CI: 0.050, 0.181 fL), 0.001 (95%CI: 0.000, 0.003) and 0.928% (95%CI: 0.425, 1.431%) increment in PDW, MPV, MPVP and P-LCR values and these associations were prominent in women relative than that in men.

CONCLUSION

Using exhaust hood/extractor attenuated the positive associations of solid fuel use and long-duration cooking with increased platelet size in all participants and these associations were prominent in women, indicating that improving kitchen ventilation may be an effective strategy to reduce platelet dysfunction related to HAP, especially for women.

PART1 destabilized by NOVA2 regulates blood-brain barrier permeability in endothelial cells via STAU1-mediated mRNA degradation

Blood-brain barrier dysfunction is recognized as a precursor of Alzheimer's disease development. Endothelial cells as structural basis of blood-brain barrier were observed tight junction failure in amyloid-β(1-42)-stimulated environment. In this study, we found NOVA2, PPP2R3A were down-regulated while PART1, p-NFκB-p65 were up-regulated in amyloid-β(1-42)-incubated endothelial cells. Knockdown of either NOVA2 or PPP2R3A and overexpression of PART1 all increased blood-brain barrier permeability. Lower blood-brain barrier permeability was observed in overexpression of NOVA2 and PPP2R3A and knockdown of PART1 and NFκB-p65. Same tendencies were found in the tight junction-related proteins expressions. Furthermore, overexpression and knockdown of NOVA2 and PART1 had no effect on cell viability. Mechanistically, NOVA2 overexpression was confirmed to reduce half-life of PART1. PART1 could destabilize PPP2R3A messenger RNA (mRNA) by interacting with STAU1. In addition, p-NFκB-p65 functioning as transcription factor reduced the expression of tight junction-related proteins, which was prompted by low protein level of PPP2R3A. Our study highlights the crucial role of NOVA2/PART1/PPP2R3A/p-NFκB-p65 pathway in amyloid-β(1-42)-incubated endothelial cells to modulating blood-brain barrier permeability through STAU1-mediated messenger RNA degradation, implying a potential mechanism of lncRNA and protein interaction in pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

Microproteins in skeletal muscle: hidden keys in muscle physiology

Recent advances in the transcriptomics, translatomics, and proteomics have led us to the exciting new world of functional endogenous microproteins. These microproteins have a small size and are derived from small open reading frames (smORFs) of RNAs previously annotated as non-coding (e.g. lncRNAs and circRNAs) as well as from untranslated regions and canonical mRNAs. The presence of these microproteins reveals a much larger translatable portion of the genome, shifting previously defined dogmas and paradigms. These findings affect our view of organisms as a whole, including skeletal muscle tissue. Emerging evidence demonstrates that several smORF-derived microproteins play crucial roles during muscle development (myogenesis), maintenance, and regeneration, as well as lipid and glucose metabolism and skeletal muscle bioenergetics. These microproteins are also involved in processes including physical activity capacity, cellular stress, and muscular-related diseases (i.e. myopathy, cachexia, atrophy, and muscle wasting). Given the role of these small proteins as important key regulators of several skeletal muscle processes, there are rich prospects for the discovery of new microproteins and possible therapies using synthetic microproteins.

The critical role of epigenetic mechanism in PM2.5-induced cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become the leading cause of death worldwide, which seriously threatens human life and health. Epidemiological studies have confirmed the occurrence and development of CVD are closely related to air pollution. In particular, fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is recognized as an important environmental factor contributing to increased morbidity, mortality and hospitalization rates among adults and children. However, the underlying mechanism by which PM_2.5 promotes CVD development remains unclear. With the development of epigenetics, recent studies have shown that PM_2.5 exposure may induce or aggravate CVD through epigenetic changes. In order to better understand the potential mechanisms, this paper reviews the epigenetic changes of CVD caused by PM_2.5. We summarized the epigenetic mechanisms of PM_2.5 causing cardiovascular pathological damage and functional changes, mainly involving DNA methylation, non-coding RNA, histone modification and chromosome remodeling. It will provide important clues for exploring the biological mechanisms affecting cardiovascular health.

Adipose-related microRNAs as modulators of the cardiovascular system: the role of epicardial adipose tissue

Adipose tissue expansion and subsequent metabolic dysfunction has been considered one of the major risk factors for development of cardiometabolic disease. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) in particular is a unique subtype of visceral adipose tissue located on the surface of the heart, around the coronary arteries. Due to its proximity, EAT can modulate the local metabolic and immune function of cardiomyocytes and coronary arteries. Several microRNAs have been described as key players in both cardiac and vascular function that when dysregulated will contribute to dysfunction. Here we review the influence of obesity in the crosstalk between specific adipose tissue types, in particular the EAT-secreted microRNAs, as key modulators of cardiac disease progression, not only as early biomarkers but also as therapeutic targets for cardiometabolic disease.

Role of non-coding RNAs as biomarkers of deleterious cardiovascular effects in sepsis

The mechanisms occurring during sepsis that produce an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) are poorly understood. Even less information exists regarding CV dysfunction as a complication of sepsis, particularly for sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy. However, recent research has demonstrated that non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs, play a crucial role in genetic reprogramming, gene regulation, and inflammation during the development of CVD. Here we describe experimental findings showing the importance of non-coding RNAs mediating relevant mechanisms underlying CV dysfunction after sepsis, so contributing to sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy. Importantly, non-coding RNAs are critical novel regulators of CVD risk factors. Thus, they are potential candidates to improve diagnostics and prognosis of sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy and other CVD events occurring after sepsis and set the basis to design novel therapeutic strategies.

Association between HOTAIR lncRNA Polymorphisms and Coronary Artery Disease Susceptibility

Coronary artery disease (CAD), one of the most frequent causes of mortality, is the most common type of cardiovascular disease. This condition is characterized by the accumulation of plaques in the coronary artery, leading to blockage of blood flow to the heart. The main symptom of CAD is chest pain caused by blockage of the coronary artery and shortness of breath. HOX transcript antisense RNA gene (HOTAIR) is a long non-coding RNA which is well-known as an oncogene involved in various cancers, such as lung, breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer. We selected six single nucleotide polymorphisms, rs4759314 A>G, rs1899663 G>T, rs920778 T>C, rs7958904 G>C, rs12826786 C>T, and rs874945 C>T, for genotype frequency analysis and assessed the frequency of HOTAIR gene polymorphisms in 442 CAD patients and 418 randomly selected control subjects. To analyze the differences between these two populations, we performed a Student's t-test, adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and ANOVA analysis. According to our baseline characteristic analysis, control subjects and CAD patients were significantly different in hypertension and diabetes mellitus. We also found that the rs4759314 A>G, rs1899663 G>T, and rs12826786 C>T genotypes were strongly associated with CAD susceptibility (AA vs. AG+GG: AOR = 0.608, 95% CI = 0.393-0.940, p = 0.025; GG vs. TT: AOR = 2.276, 95% CI = 1.125-4.607, p = 0.022; CC vs. CT+TT: AOR = 1.366, 95% CI = 1.027-1.818, p = 0.032, respectively). Our data also demonstrated that the genotype of HOTAIR polymorphisms, genotype combination, and haplotype analysis affect disease occurrence. Moreover, these polymorphisms are linked to clinical factors that contribute to disease susceptibility. In conclusion, results from our study suggest that HOTAIR polymorphisms may be useful novel biomarkers for diagnosing CAD.