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Identification of Circulating MicroRNA Signatures in Crohn's Disease Using the Nanostring nCounter Technology
Angelos Oikonomopoulos1, Christos Polytarchou, Swapna Joshi
1*Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Division of Digestive Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; †College of Arts and Science, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom; and ‡Center for Systems Biomedicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Insights
Novel circulating microRNAs in serum show promise for diagnosing Crohn's disease (CD) and monitoring its activity. These microRNA biomarkers offer superior correlation with disease severity compared to C-reactive protein (CRP).
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Molecular Diagnostics
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Current clinical indices for Crohn's disease (CD) activity assessment are often inadequate.
- Laboratory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) poorly reflect actual disease activity.
- Novel biomarkers are crucial for effective CD patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of circulating serum-derived microRNAs as diagnostic and disease activity monitoring tools for CD patients.
- To compare the efficacy of microRNA biomarkers against traditional methods like CRP and the Harvey-Bradshaw index.
Main Methods:
- MicroRNA expression profiling using Nanostring nCounter technology on blood serum samples from CD patients and healthy controls.
- Correlation analysis of microRNA expression profiles and CRP levels with the Harvey-Bradshaw index for disease activity.
- Identification of differentially expressed microRNA signatures in CD patients.
Main Results:
- A signature of 10 circulating microRNAs differentially expressed in CD patients was identified.
- Two microRNAs, hsa-miR-1286 and hsa-miR-1273d, correlated with CD disease activity, outperforming CRP.
- Distinct microRNA signatures were observed between CD patients with ileal and colonic involvement.
Conclusions:
- Circulating microRNAs demonstrate superior diagnostic and disease activity monitoring value compared to traditional methods for Crohn's disease.
- The application of circulating microRNAs could enhance CD patient management when integrated with existing assessment modalities.
Background:
Current clinical indices, such as Harvey-Bradshaw index, are often inadequate for the assessment of disease activity in Crohn's disease (CD). Alternative methods including imaging modalities and laboratory markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), are routinely applied to assess disease activity. However, laboratory markers poorly reflect the actual disease activity. Consequently, novel biomarkers represent a clinical necessity for CD patient management. We hypothesized that circulating serum-derived microRNAs may be used as diagnosis and disease activity monitoring tools of CD patients.
Methods:
To test this hypothesis, we performed microRNA expression profiling through Nanostring nCounter technology in blood serum samples of CD patients and healthy control subjects. Harvey-Bradshaw index score was used to capture clinical disease activity; CRP was measured as part of standard clinical practice. The expression profile of circulating microRNAs and the levels of CRP correlated with Harvey-Bradshaw index.
Results:
We identified a signature of 10 circulating microRNAs that are differentially expressed in CD patients compared with healthy control subjects. Two of these microRNAs (hsa-miR-1286 and hsa-miR-1273d) correlated with CD disease activity and exhibited higher correlation values compared with CRP. Further analysis revealed distinct microRNA signatures between CD patients with ileal and colonic involvement.
Conclusions:
Circulating microRNAs show superior value as diagnostic and disease activity markers in comparison to traditional methods. Circulating microRNAs could improve CD patient management, if applied in combination with current state-of-the-art diagnostic and disease activity assessment modalities.
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