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Published on: March 24, 2015
Connection of miR-185 and miR-320a expression levels with response to interferon-beta in multiple sclerosis patients
Seyyed Reza Mousavi1, Mahsa Tahmasebivand2, Mehdi Khorrami3
1Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Background:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by neurodegeneration in the CNS. Interferon-beta (IFN-β) is an FDA-approved drug used as the first-line treatment for relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The exact mechanism of IFN-β during the treatment of RRMS still remains unknown. Recently, many studies have shifted towards the role of miRNAs in the treatment of MS patients.
Methods:
Herein, the expression level of miR-185-5p and miR-320a has been evaluated in order to candidate them as novel biomarkers for monitoring the response to IFN-β therapy. For this purpose, one-hundred whole blood samples from patients with RRMS were collected, consisting of 50 responders and 50 non-responders to IFN-β therapy. To predict the possible molecular mechanisms of IFN-β and highlight the role of these miRNAs, in silico analysis was applied to enrich the signaling pathways which may be involved based on the target genes of miR-185-5p and miR-320a.
Results:
It is identified that the differentially expressed miR-185-5p was statistically significant between the two treated groups with IFN-β. Furthermore, MAPK signaling pathway was suggested as the main non-canonical pathway involved in IFN-β therapy.
Conclusion:
miR-185-5p could be considered as a novel biomarker for monitoring the response to IFN-β therapy.
