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miR-135b levels in the peripheral blood serve as a marker associated with acute ischemic stroke
Sha Yang1, Xinyu Zhan1, Min He1
1Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, P.R. China.
Abstract:
The protective role of microRNA (miR)-135b in cerebral neurons has been previously identified. However, to the best of our knowledge, the involvement of miR-135b in acute ischemic stroke has yet to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the expression profile of miR-135b in peripheral blood obtained from patients with acute ischemic stroke. A total of 76 patients with acute ischemic stroke were selected as the case group, which included 33 cases of aorta atheromatous plague, 19 cases of cardioembolism, 16 cases of small arterial occlusion and 8 cases with unknown causes. In addition, 60 healthy subjects were selected as the control group. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was used to measure the expression of miR-135b in the peripheral blood of the patients. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was used to evaluate the severity of acute ischemic stroke. The relationship between miR-135b levels and acute stroke was subsequently analyzed. The expression of miR-135b in the peripheral blood of the case group was found to be significantly higher compared with that in the control group. By contrast, the expression levels of miR-135b in the case group did not differ significantly between the different etiology types of acute ischemic stroke. In addition, a significant positive correlation was observed between levels of miR-135b expression and NIHSS scores. Further analysis demonstrated that hypertension, hyperglycemia, platelet count, international normalized ratio and miR-135b were risk factors for acute ischemic stroke. Based on bioinformatics analysis, a conserved binding site for miR-135b was identified in the 3'-untranslated region of the transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily C member 6 (TRPC6). Dual luciferase reporter and western blot analysis showed that TRPC6 was a target gene of miR-135b. In conclusion, data from the present study suggest that elevated expression of miR-135b in the peripheral blood of patients with acute ischemic stroke is closely associated with disease severity.
Insights
Elevated microRNA (miR)-135b levels in blood are linked to acute ischemic stroke severity. This study found higher miR-135b in stroke patients, correlating with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores and identifying TRPC6 as a target gene.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- MicroRNA (miR)-135b is known for its protective role in cerebral neurons.
- The specific involvement of miR-135b in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) pathophysiology remains largely unexplored.
- Understanding miR-135b's role could offer new insights into AIS mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression profile of miR-135b in the peripheral blood of AIS patients.
- To determine the correlation between miR-135b levels and AIS severity.
- To identify potential molecular targets of miR-135b in the context of AIS.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) to measure miR-135b expression in peripheral blood.
- Analysis of miR-135b levels in 76 AIS patients across different etiologies and 60 healthy controls.
- National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) for stroke severity assessment.
- Bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assays, and Western blot to validate miR-135b targets.
Main Results:
- miR-135b expression was significantly higher in AIS patients compared to healthy controls.
- No significant difference in miR-135b levels was observed among different AIS etiologies.
- A significant positive correlation was found between elevated miR-135b levels and higher NIHSS scores.
- miR-135b and factors like hypertension and hyperglycemia were identified as risk factors for AIS.
- Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily C member 6 (TRPC6) was confirmed as a direct target gene of miR-135b.
Conclusions:
- Elevated peripheral blood miR-135b expression is associated with acute ischemic stroke.
- miR-135b levels correlate positively with the clinical severity of AIS.
- The miR-135b/TRPC6 axis represents a potential pathway involved in AIS pathogenesis.
