miR-374a-5p regulates inflammatory genes and monocyte function in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Integrated analysis of circRNA- related ceRNA network targeting neuroinflammation in medial temporal lobe epilepsy

BACKGROUND

medial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is among the most common types of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) ，it is generally resistant to drug treatment, which significantly impacts the quality of life and treatment. Research on novel therapeutic approaches for mTLE has become a current focus. Our study aims to construct and analyze a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network that targets neuroinflammation using publicly available data, which may offer a novel therapeutic approach for mTLE.

METHODS

we utilized the R package to analyze GSE186334 downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database, subsequently constructing and identifying hub network within the ceRNA network using public databases. Lastly, we validated the expressions and interactions of some nodes within the hub ceRNA network in Sombati cell model.

RESULTS

our transcriptome analysis identified 649 differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs (273 up-regulated, 376 down-regulated) and 36 DE circRNAs (11 up-regulated, 25 down-regulated) among mTLE patients. A total of 23 candidate DE mRNAs associated with neuroinflammation were screened, and two ceRNA networks were constructed. A hub network was further screened which included 3 mRNAs, 22 miRNAs, and 11 circRNAs. Finally, we confirmed the hsa-miR-149-5p is crucial in the regulatory effect of hsa_circ_0005145 on IL - 1α in the hub network.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, our study identified a hub ceRNA network and validated a potential circRNA-miRNA-mRNA axis targeting neuroinflammation. The results of our research may serve as a potential therapeutic target for mTLE.

Multiplex Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid and Serum Exosomes MicroRNAs of Untreated Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) and Proposing Noninvasive Diagnostic Biomarkers

Exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging diagnostic biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we aimed to detect relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)-specific miRNAs in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum exosomes with diagnostic potential. One ml of CSF and serum sample were collected from each of the 30 untreated RRMS patients and healthy controls (HCs). A panel of 18 miRNAs affecting inflammatory responses was applied, and qRT-PCR was conducted to detect differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs in CSF and serum of RRMS patients. We identified that 17 out of 18 miRNAs displayed different patterns in RRMS patients compared to HCs. Let-7 g-5p, miR-18a-5p, miR-145-5p, and miR-374a-5p with dual pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory actions and miR-150-5p and miR-342-3p with anti-inflammatory action were significantly upregulated in both CSF and serum-derived exosomes of RRMS patients compared to corresponding HCs. Additionally, anti-inflammatory miR-132-5p and pro-inflammatory miR-320a-5p were significantly downregulated in both CSF and serum-derived exosomes of RRMS patients compared to HCs. Ten of 18 miRNAs were differentially expressed in CSF and serum exosomes of the patients. Furthermore, miR-15a-5p, miR-19b-3p, and miR-432-5p were upregulated, and miR-17-5p was downregulated only in CSF exosomes. Interestingly, U6 housekeeping gene was differentially expressed in CSF and serum exosomes, in both RRMS and HCs. As the first report describing CSF exosomal miRNAs expression profile compared to that of serum exosomes in untreated RRMS patients, we showed that CSF and serum exosomes are not identical in terms of biological compounds and display different patterns in miRNAs and U6 expression.

Post-transcriptional checkpoints in autoimmunity

Post-transcriptional regulation is a fundamental process in gene expression that has a role in diverse cellular processes, including immune responses. A core concept underlying post-transcriptional regulation is that protein abundance is not solely determined by transcript abundance. Indeed, transcription and translation are not directly coupled, and intervening steps occur between these processes, including the regulation of mRNA stability, localization and alternative splicing, which can impact protein abundance. These steps are controlled by various post-transcription factors such as RNA-binding proteins and non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs, and aberrant post-transcriptional regulation has been implicated in various pathological conditions. Indeed, studies on the pathogenesis of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases have identified various post-transcription factors as important regulators of immune cell-mediated and target effector cell-mediated pathological conditions. This Review summarizes current knowledge regarding the roles of post-transcriptional checkpoints in autoimmunity, as evidenced by studies in both haematopoietic and non-haematopoietic cells, and discusses the relevance of these findings for developing new anti-inflammatory therapies.

Updated immunomodulatory roles of gut flora and microRNAs in inflammatory bowel diseases

Inflammatory bowel disease is a heterogeneous intestinal inflammatory disorder, including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). Existing studies have shown that the pathogenesis of IBD is closely related to the host's genetic susceptibility, intestinal flora disturbance and mucosal immune abnormalities, etc. It is generally believed that there are complicated interactions between host immunity and intestinal microflora/microRNAs during the occurrence and progression of IBD. Intestinal flora is mainly composed of bacteria, fungi, viruses and helminths. These commensals are highly implicated in the maintenance of intestinal microenvironment homeostasis alone or in combination. MiRNA is an endogenous non-coding small RNA with a length of 20 to 22 nucleotides, which can perform a variety of biological functions by silencing or activating target genes through complementary pairing bonds. A large quantity of miRNAs are involved in intestinal inflammation, mucosal barrier integrity, autophagy, vesicle transportation and other small RNA alterations in IBD circumstance. In this review, the immunomodulatory roles of gut flora and microRNAs are updated in the occurrence and progression of IBD. Meanwhile, the gut flora and microRNA targeted therapeutic strategies as well as other immunomodulatory approaches including TNF-α monoclonal antibodies are also emphasized in the treatment of IBD.

Expression level of serum miR-347a-5p in patients with acute pancreatitis and its effect on viability, apoptosis, and inflammatory factors of pancreatic acinar cells induced by cerulein

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is one of the life-threatening diseases of the digestive system. MicroRNA has been asserted to be a regulator of AP. This paper explored the miR-374a-5p expression in AP patients and investigated the efficacy of AR42J cells. In this study, 60 healthy people, 58 MAP patients and 58 SAP patients were included, and the serum miR-374a-5p levels of the subjects were detected by RT-qPCR technology. The pancreatitis cell model was structured by stimulating AR42J cells with cerulein. Next, cell viability and apoptosis were detected by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. ELISA was used to measure the concentration of cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. The data showed that miR-374a-5p was downregulated in samples from AP patients, while showing discriminative power for AP populations. Attenuated miR-374a-5p were negatively bound up with patients' Ranson score and APACHE II score. Besides, miR-374a-5p was declined in cerulein-treated AR42J cells and forced elevation of miR-374a-5p was beneficial to increase cell viability, and inhibit cell apoptosis and inflammation. The present study found that miR-374a-5p was reduced in AP serum samples, and up-regulated expression level of miR-374a-5p in cell models had a protective effect on cerulein-induced inhibition of cell function and inflammatory response.

Exploration and validation of the influence of angiogenesis-related factors in aortic valve calcification

Over the years, bioinformatics tools have been used to identify functional genes. In the present study, bioinformatics analyses were conducted to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms of angiogenic factors in calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). The raw gene expression profiles were from datasets GSE153555, GSE83453, and GSE51472, and the angiogenesis-related gene set was from the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis database (GSEA). In this study, R was used to screen for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and co-expressed genes. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) Pathway enrichment analysis were performed on DEGs and validated in clinical samples. DEGs in CAVD were significantly enriched in numerous immune response pathways, inflammatory response pathways and angiogenesis-related pathways. Nine highly expressed angiogenesis-related genes were identified, of which secretogranin II (SCG2) was the most critical gene. MiRNA and transcription factors (TFs) networks were established centered on five DEGs, and zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) was the most important transcription factor, verified by PCR, immunohistochemical staining and western blotting experiments. Overall, this study identified key genes and TFs that may be involved in the pathogenesis of CAVD and may have promising applications in the treatment of CAVD.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatments and Predictive Biomarkers of Therapeutic Response

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune-mediated inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract with a highly heterogeneous presentation. It has a relapsing and remitting clinical course that necessitates lifelong monitoring and treatment. Although the availability of a variety of effective therapeutic options including immunomodulators and biologics (such as TNF, CAM inhibitors) has led to a paradigm shift in the treatment outcomes and clinical management of IBD patients, some patients still either fail to respond or lose their responsiveness to therapy over time. Therefore, according to the recent Selecting Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (STRIDE-II) recommendations, continuous disease monitoring from symptomatic relief to endoscopic healing along with short- and long-term therapeutic responses are critical for providing IBD patients with a tailored therapy algorithm. Moreover, considering the high unmet need for novel therapeutic approaches for IBD patients, various new modulators of cytokine signaling events (for example, JAK/TYK inhibitors), inhibitors of cytokines (for example IL-12/IL-23, IL-22, IL-36, and IL-6 inhibitors), anti-adhesion and migration strategies (for example, β7 integrin, sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors, and stem cells), as well as microbial-based therapeutics to decolonize the bed buds (for example, fecal microbiota transplantation and bacterial inhibitors) are currently being evaluated in different phases of controlled clinical trials. This review aims to offer a comprehensive overview of available treatment options and emerging therapeutic approaches for IBD patients. Furthermore, predictive biomarkers for monitoring the therapeutic response to different IBD therapies are also discussed.