Inflexibility of the plasma miRNA response following a high-carbohydrate meal in overweight insulin-resistant women

Context

Metabolic inflexibility is a characteristic of insulin resistance, limiting the ability to transiently regulate oxidative metabolism and gene expression in response to nutrient availability. Little is known of the flexibility of post-transcriptional regulation, including circulatory miRNAs (c-miRNAs).

Design

The abundances of targeted c-miRNAs, with reported functions in metabolic regulation, were analysed in response to a high-carbohydrate meal in healthy weight insulin-sensitive (IS) and overweight insulin-resistant (IR) women.

Participants

Age-matched healthy weight IS (n = 20, BMI = 24.3 ± 0.70) and overweight IR (n = 20, BMI = 28.6 ± 0.67) women.

Methods

An abundance of c-miRNAs was quantified prior to and following a high-carbohydrate breakfast meal (2500 kJ; 50% carbohydrate, 20% fat and 27% protein). Target genes of the differentially regulated c-miRNA were measured in RNA extracted from circulatory peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

Results

In healthy weight IS women, both miR-15a-5p (p = 0.03) and miR-17-5p (p < 0.01) levels were halved at 4 h post-meal. These miRNA remained unaltered following the same meal in the overweight IR women. Furthermore, amongst genes targeted by these miRNA, CPT1A (p = 0.01) and IL8 (p = 0.03) had also reduced expression 4 h post-meal only in the healthy weight IS women.

Conclusions

The study findings provide preliminary evidence for a possible extension of metabolic inflexibility to include c-miRNAs.

Trial registration

The clinical trial is registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry under Trial registration: ANZCTR: ACTRN12615001108505. Registered on 21 October 2015.

Circulatory miRNA biomarkers of metabolic syndrome

AIMS

Circulatory microRNAs (c-miRNAs) exert important roles in the molecular dysregulation of cardio-metabolic diseases. However, little is known whether dysregulated miRNA expression occurs when risk factors are elevated, as in the metabolic syndrome (MetS). This study quantified c-miRNA expression in individuals with MetS compared to healthy, further examining the relationship of gene pathways with the underlying pathogenesis.

METHODS

Expression of 26 miRNAs was quantified in plasma from 40 women (20 healthy and 20 MetS) and 39 men (20 healthy and 19 MetS) by qPCR. In silico analysis was performed to investigate biological effects of the dysregulated miRNAs. Dysregulated miRNA expression was further validated in an independent cohort of 20 women (10 healthy and 10 MetS).

RESULTS

Regression model adjusted for age and sex identified miR-15a-5p, miR-17-5p, miR-370-3p and miR-375 as important predictors of MetS presence. Analysis of predictive miRNAs in the validation cohort strengthened the relationship with miR-15a-5p and miR-17-5p expression. These miRNAs share genes involved in the regulation of metabolic pathways including insulin, wnt, fatty acid metabolism and AMPK.

CONCLUSIONS

miR-15a-5p and miR-17-5p were identified as predictive biomarkers of MetS, irrespective of sexes, further demonstrating the relationship of c-miRNAs to known pathways of metabolic disturbances present in cardio-metabolic diseases.