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Common diseases alter the physiological age-related blood microRNA profile

Tobias Fehlmann1, Benoit Lehallier2, Nicholas Schaum2

  • 1Chair for Clinical Bioinformatics, Saarland University, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany.

Nature Communications
|November 25, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Aging significantly alters microRNAs (miRNAs) in blood, impacting healthy aging and disease development. These age-related miRNA changes can serve as biomarkers for age-specific diseases.

Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Aging Research
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Aging is a primary risk factor for numerous chronic diseases in the elderly.
  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial regulators of gene expression, influencing cellular processes.
  • Understanding age-related molecular changes is vital for disease prevention and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate age-related changes in microRNA profiles in healthy individuals.
  • To explore how these age-related miRNA alterations differ in the presence of disease.
  • To identify potential age-specific biomarkers for various diseases.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of whole blood microRNA profiles from 1334 healthy individuals.
  • Comparison of miRNA profiles between young and elderly individuals, considering sex.
  • Inclusion of data from 3059 diseased patients to identify disease-specific alterations.
  • Computational deconvolution of whole-blood miRNAs to assess cell-type specific changes.

Main Results:

  • Nonlinear changes in age-related microRNAs were identified.
  • Age had a greater influence on miRNA profiles than sex.
  • A shift towards the 5' mature form of miRNAs was observed in healthy aging.
  • Distinct pan-disease and disease-specific alterations in aging miRNA profiles were uncovered.
  • Disease biomarker sets differed significantly between young and old patients.
  • Cell-intrinsic gene expression changes, rather than cell abundance, were more significant for whole blood miRNA profiles.

Conclusions:

  • Age-related miRNA profiles provide a foundation for understanding healthy aging and disease.
  • These findings support the development of age-specific biomarkers for disease detection and management.
  • MicroRNA dynamics in blood cells offer insights into aging and disease pathogenesis.

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