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Moatar AI, Chis AR, Nitusca D, Oancea C, Marian C, Sirbu IO. HB-EGF Plasmatic Level Contributes to the Development of Early Risk Prediction Nomogram for Severe COVID-19 Cases. Biomedicines 2024; 12:373. [PMID: 38397975 PMCID: PMC10886796 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12020373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Heparin-Binding Epidermal Growth Factor-like Growth Factor (HB-EGF) is involved in wound healing, cardiac hypertrophy, and heart development processes. Recently, circulant HB-EGF was reported upregulated in severely hospitalized COVID-19 patients. However, the clinical correlations of HB-EGF plasma levels with COVID-19 patients' characteristics have not been defined yet. In this study, we assessed the plasma HB-EGF correlations with the clinical and paraclinical patients' data, evaluated its predictive clinical value, and built a risk prediction model for severe COVID-19 cases based on the resulting significant prognostic markers. (2) Methods: Our retrospective study enrolled 75 COVID-19 patients and 17 control cases from May 2020 to September 2020. We quantified plasma HB-EGF levels using the sandwich ELISA technique. Correlations between HB-EGF plasma levels with clinical and paraclinical patients' data were calculated using two-tailed Spearman and Point-Biserial tests. Significantly upregulated parameters for severe COVID-19 cases were identified and selected to build a multivariate logistic regression prediction model. The clinical significance of the prediction model was assessed by risk prediction nomogram and decision curve analyses. (3) Results: HB-EGF plasma levels were significantly higher in the severe COVID-19 subgroup compared to the controls (p = 0.004) and moderate cases (p = 0.037). In the severe COVID-19 group, HB-EGF correlated with age (p = 0.028), pulse (p = 0.016), dyspnea (p = 0.014) and prothrombin time (PT) (p = 0.04). The multivariate risk prediction model built on seven identified risk parameters (age p = 0.043, HB-EGF p = 0.0374, Fibrinogen p = 0.009, PT p = 0.008, Creatinine p = 0.026, D-Dimers p = 0.024 and delta miR-195 p < 0.0001) identifies severe COVID-19 with AUC = 0.9556 (p < 0.0001). The decision curve analysis revealed that the nomogram model is clinically relevant throughout a wide threshold probability range. (4) Conclusions: Upregulated HB-EGF plasma levels might serve as a prognostic factor for severe COVID-19 and help build a reliable risk prediction nomogram that improves the identification of high-risk patients at an early stage of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Ioana Moatar
- Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (A.I.M.); (D.N.)
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania (I.-O.S.)
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Aimee Rodica Chis
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania (I.-O.S.)
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Diana Nitusca
- Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (A.I.M.); (D.N.)
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania (I.-O.S.)
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Cristian Oancea
- Department of Pneumology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Catalin Marian
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania (I.-O.S.)
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Ioan-Ovidiu Sirbu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania (I.-O.S.)
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
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Sala-Cirtog M, Sirbu IO. Analysis of MicroRNA-Transcription Factors Co-Regulatory Network Linking Depression and Vitamin D Deficiency. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1114. [PMID: 38256187 PMCID: PMC10815958 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25021114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Depression and vitamin D deficiency are often co-occurring pathologies, the common pathogenetic ground of which includes an augmented inflammatory response. However, the molecular details of this relationship remain unclear. Here, we used a bioinformatic approach to analyze GEO transcriptome datasets of major depressive disorder (MDD) and vitamin D deficiency (VDD) to identify the hub genes within the regulatory networks of commonly differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The MDD-VDD shared regulatory network contains 100 DEGs (71 upregulated and 29 downregulated), with six hub genes (PECAM1, TLR2, PTGS2, LRRK2, HCK, and IL18) all significantly upregulated, of which PTGS2 (also known as COX2) shows the highest inference score and reference count. The subsequent analysis of the miRNA-transcription factors network identified COX2, miR-146a-5p, and miR-181c-5p as key co-regulatory actors in the MDD-VDD shared molecular pathogenic mechanisms. Subsequent analysis of published MDD and VDD transcriptome data confirmed the importance of the identified hub genes, further validating our bioinformatic analytical pipeline. Our study demonstrated that PTGS2 was highly upregulated in both depressive patients and patients with low vitamin D plasma levels. Therefore, regulators targeting PTGS2, like miR-146a-5p and miR181c-5p, may have great potential in controlling both diseases simultaneously, accentuating their role in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Sala-Cirtog
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania;
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Ioan-Ovidiu Sirbu
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania;
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
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Maries L, Moatar AI, Sala-Cirtog M, Sima L, Anghel A, Marian C, Chis AR, Sirbu IO. Clinical Variables Influence the Ability of miR-101, miR-150, and miR-21 to Predict Ventricular Remodeling after ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2738. [PMID: 37893111 PMCID: PMC10604279 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11102738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Left ventricle remodeling (LVR) after acute myocardial infarction (MI) leads to impairment of both systolic and diastolic function, a significant contributor to heart failure (HF). Despite extensive research in the field, predicting post-MI LVR and HF is still a challenge. Several circulant microRNAs have been proposed as LVR predictors; however, their clinical value is controversial. Here, we used real-time quantitative PCR to quantify the plasma levels of hsa-miR-101, hsa-miR-150, and hsa-miR-21 on the first day of hospital admission of MI patients with ST-elevation (STEMI). We analyzed their correlation to the patient's clinical and paraclinical variables and evaluated their ability to discriminate between post-MI LVR and non-LVR. We show that, despite being excellent MI discriminators, none of these microRNAs can distinguish between LVR and non-LVR patients. Furthermore, we found that diabetes mellitus (DM), Hb level, and the number of erythrocytes significantly influence all three plasma microRNA levels. This suggests that plasma microRNAs' diagnostic and prognostic value in STEMI patients should be reevaluated and interpreted in the context of associated pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana Maries
- Biochemistry Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.M.); (A.I.M.); (M.S.-C.); (A.A.); (C.M.); (I.-O.S.)
- Doctoral School, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Alexandra Ioana Moatar
- Biochemistry Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.M.); (A.I.M.); (M.S.-C.); (A.A.); (C.M.); (I.-O.S.)
- Doctoral School, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Center for Complex Network Science, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Maria Sala-Cirtog
- Biochemistry Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.M.); (A.I.M.); (M.S.-C.); (A.A.); (C.M.); (I.-O.S.)
- Center for Complex Network Science, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Laurentiu Sima
- Surgical Semiology Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania;
| | - Andrei Anghel
- Biochemistry Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.M.); (A.I.M.); (M.S.-C.); (A.A.); (C.M.); (I.-O.S.)
| | - Catalin Marian
- Biochemistry Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.M.); (A.I.M.); (M.S.-C.); (A.A.); (C.M.); (I.-O.S.)
- Center for Complex Network Science, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Aimee Rodica Chis
- Biochemistry Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.M.); (A.I.M.); (M.S.-C.); (A.A.); (C.M.); (I.-O.S.)
- Center for Complex Network Science, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Ioan-Ovidiu Sirbu
- Biochemistry Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.M.); (A.I.M.); (M.S.-C.); (A.A.); (C.M.); (I.-O.S.)
- Center for Complex Network Science, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
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Moatar AI, Chis AR, Romanescu M, Ciordas PD, Nitusca D, Marian C, Oancea C, Sirbu IO. Plasma miR-195-5p predicts the severity of Covid-19 in hospitalized patients. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13806. [PMID: 37612439 PMCID: PMC10447562 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40754-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Predicting the clinical course of Covid-19 is a challenging task, given the multi-systemic character of the disease and the paucity of minimally invasive biomarkers of disease severity. Here, we evaluated the early (first two days post-admission) level of circulating hsa-miR-195-5p (miR-195, a known responder to viral infections and SARS-CoV-2 interactor) in Covid-19 patients and assessed its potential as a biomarker of disease severity. We show that plasma miR-195 correlates with several clinical and paraclinical parameters, and is an excellent discriminator between the severe and mild forms of the disease. Our Gene Ontology analysis of miR-195 targets differentially expressed in Covid-19 indicates a strong impact on cardiac mitochondria homeostasis, suggesting a possible role in long Covid and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Ioana Moatar
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
- Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Aimee Rodica Chis
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Mirabela Romanescu
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
- Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Paula-Diana Ciordas
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
- Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Diana Nitusca
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
- Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Catalin Marian
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Cristian Oancea
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Discipline of Pulmonology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E. Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
- Center for Research and Innovation in Precision Medicine of Respiratory Diseases, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, E. Murgu Square 2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania
| | - Ioan-Ovidiu Sirbu
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania.
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", E Murgu Square no.2, 300041, Timisoara, Romania.
- Timisoara Institute of Complex Systems, 18 Vasile Lucaciu Str, 300044, Timisoara, Romania.
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Maries L, Moatar AI, Chis AR, Marian C, Luca CT, Sirbu IO, Gaiță D. Plasma hsa-miR-22-3p Might Serve as an Early Predictor of Ventricular Function Recovery after ST-Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2289. [PMID: 37626785 PMCID: PMC10452683 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11082289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Left ventricle remodeling (LVR) after acute myocardial infarction (aMI) leads to impairment of both systolic and diastolic function, a major contributor to heart failure (HF). Despite extensive research, predicting post-aMI LVR and HF is still a challenge. Several circulant microRNAs have been proposed as LVR predictors; however, their clinical value is controversial. Here, we used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to quantify hsa-miR-22-3p (miR-22) plasma levels on the first day of hospital admission of ST-elevation aMI (STEMI) patients. We analyzed miR-22 correlation to the patients' clinical and paraclinical variables and evaluated its ability to discriminate between post-aMI LVR and non-LVR. We show that miR-22 is an excellent aMI discriminator and can distinguish between LVR and non-LVR patients. The discriminative performance of miR-22 significantly improves the predictive power of a multiple logistic regression model based on four continuous variables (baseline ejection fraction and end-diastolic volume, CK-MB, and troponin). Furthermore, we found that diabetes mellitus, hematocrit level, and the number of erythrocytes significantly influence its levels. These data suggest that miR-22 might be used as a predictor of ventricular function recovery in STEMI patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana Maries
- Biochemistry Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.M.); (A.I.M.); (A.R.C.); (C.M.)
- Doctoral School, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Alexandra Ioana Moatar
- Biochemistry Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.M.); (A.I.M.); (A.R.C.); (C.M.)
- Doctoral School, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Center for Complex Network Science, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Aimee Rodica Chis
- Biochemistry Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.M.); (A.I.M.); (A.R.C.); (C.M.)
- Center for Complex Network Science, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Catalin Marian
- Biochemistry Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.M.); (A.I.M.); (A.R.C.); (C.M.)
- Center for Complex Network Science, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Constantin Tudor Luca
- Cardiology Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (C.T.L.); (D.G.)
- Research Center of the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Timisoara, 13A Gheorghe Adam Street, 300310 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Ioan-Ovidiu Sirbu
- Biochemistry Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (L.M.); (A.I.M.); (A.R.C.); (C.M.)
- Center for Complex Network Science, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Dan Gaiță
- Cardiology Department, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania; (C.T.L.); (D.G.)
- Research Center of the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Timisoara, 13A Gheorghe Adam Street, 300310 Timisoara, Romania
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Hamamah S, Gheorghita R, Lobiuc A, Sirbu IO, Covasa M. Fecal microbiota transplantation in non-communicable diseases: Recent advances and protocols. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:1060581. [PMID: 36569149 PMCID: PMC9773399 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.1060581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is a therapeutic method that aims to restore normal gut microbial composition in recipients. Currently, FMT is approved in the USA to treat recurrent and refractory Clostridioides difficile infection and has been shown to have great efficacy. As such, significant research has been directed toward understanding the potential role of FMT in other conditions associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, neuropsychiatric disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, decompensated cirrhosis, cancers and graft-versus-host disease. This review examines current updates and efficacy of FMT in treating conditions other than Clostridioides difficile infection. Further, protocols for administration of FMT are also discussed including storage of fecal samples in stool banks, inclusion/exclusion criteria for donors, fecal sample preparation and methods of treatment administration. Overall, understanding the mechanisms by which FMT can manipulate gut microbiota to provide therapeutic benefit as well as identifying potential adverse effects is an important step in clarifying its long-term safety and efficacy in treating multiple conditions in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sevag Hamamah
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, United States
| | - Roxana Gheorghita
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Biological Science, University of Suceava, Suceava, Romania,Department of Biochemistry, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Andrei Lobiuc
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Biological Science, University of Suceava, Suceava, Romania
| | - Ioan-Ovidiu Sirbu
- Department of Biochemistry, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Timişoara, Romania,Center for Complex Network Science, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Mihai Covasa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, United States,Department of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Biological Science, University of Suceava, Suceava, Romania,*Correspondence: Mihai Covasa,
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Moatar AI, Chis AR, Marian C, Sirbu IO. Gene Network Analysis of the Transcriptome Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Interacting MicroRNAs in COVID-19 Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23169239. [PMID: 36012503 PMCID: PMC9409149 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of June 2022, over 536 million confirmed COVID-19 disease cases and over 6.3 million deaths had been globally reported. COVID-19 is a multiorgan disease involving multiple intricated pathological mechanisms translated into clinical, biochemical, and molecular changes, including microRNAs. MicroRNAs are essential post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, being involved in the modulation of most biological processes. In this study, we characterized the biological impact of SARS-CoV-2 interacting microRNAs differentially expressed in COVID-19 disease by analyzing their impact on five distinct tissue transcriptomes. To this end, we identified the microRNAs’ predicted targets within the list of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in tissues affected by high loads of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Next, we submitted the tissue-specific lists of the predicted microRNA-targeted DEGs to gene network functional enrichment analysis. Our data show that the upregulated microRNAs control processes such as mitochondrial respiration and cytokine and cell surface receptor signaling pathways in the heart, lymph node, and kidneys. In contrast, downregulated microRNAs are primarily involved in processes related to the mitotic cell cycle in the heart, lung, and kidneys. Our study provides the first exploratory, systematic look into the biological impact of the microRNAs associated with COVID-19, providing a new perspective for understanding its multiorgan physiopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Ioana Moatar
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Aimee Rodica Chis
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Catalin Marian
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Ioan-Ovidiu Sirbu
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Discipline of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Center for Complex Network Science, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Victor Babes”, E. Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +40-756-136-272
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Anghel A, Marian C, Pitulescu M, Daba A, Sirbu IO, Rusu V, Budowle B. Population genetic study of eight short tandem repeat loci CSF1PO, TPOX, TH01, F13A01, FESFPS, vWA, F13B and LPL in the Western Romanian population. Forensic Sci Int 2003; 131:218-9. [PMID: 12590063 DOI: 10.1016/s0379-0738(02)00435-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Allele frequencies for eight tetranucleotide short tandem repeat (STR) loci-CSF1PO, TPOX, TH01, F13A01, FESFPS, vWA, F13B, LPL-were obtained from a population sample of 105-122 unrelated individuals born in Transylvania and Banat (Romania).
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Affiliation(s)
- A Anghel
- Biochemistry Department, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Piata Eftimie Murgu No 2, 1900 Timisoara, Romania.
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