Potential value of miR-214 as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target in multiple sclerosis
-
Mohammad Sina Pirmoradian,1 Negar Amidi,2 Ali Attaripour Isfahani,3 Tahereh Sadeghian-Rizi,4,*
1. Department of Biological Science and Technology, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
3. Department of Biological Science and Technology, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
4. Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences and Technology, Shahid Ashrafi Esfahani University, Isfahan, Iran
- Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. The T/Treg cells imbalance plays a crucial role in pathogenesis of this disease. The diagnosis of MS primarily based on disease symptoms such as white matter lesions on MRI and there is no specific lab-based test. The differential expression profile of miRNAs in MS patients suggests that they may have key regulatory roles in the development of MS, therefore miRNAs have potential value as a therapeutic/diagnostic target in MS. In this study, miR-214 expression levels, its target genes, and genetic pathways in MS were investigated using bioinformatics databases.
- Methods: At first, the complete information for miR-214 gene including its chromosomal location, expression, function, and its related disorders, pathways, orthologs was obtained from miRBase and GeneCards databases. Gene ontologies and MS signaling pathways associations of miR-214 targets were analyzed by DAVID Bioinformatics Resources 6.8.
- Results: The gene of human miR-214 is located in the chromosomal region 1q24.3, within intron 14 of the dynamin-3 gene and expressed abundantly in the extracellular space and plasma membrane. The previous studies demonstrated that miR-214 play important role in a variety of cancers. The present study revealed that miR-214 has a significant effect on 3865 identified genes, of which 2534 target genes impress in chronic diseases such as MS. Further analysis demonstrated that miR-214 is associated with 65 genes in MS. It was found that the mTOR signaling pathway is a potential target for miR-214. The inhibition of this pathway by miR-214 results in more expansion of regulatory T cells compared to effector T cells.
- Conclusion: The current study shows that, miR-214 plays the crucial role in multiple sclerosis by affecting various genes and signaling pathways. Therefore, miR-214 can be used as a biomarker in early prevention. Furthermore, it has a potential value in the MS treatment via restoration of T/Treg cell balance and it raises hopes for a cure given the challenges ahead.
- Keywords: miR-214, multiple sclerosis, diagnostic biomarker, therapeutic target
