miR-98 and miR-629 can be used as a potential biomarker on relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients

Abstract

Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by chronic inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration. In recent years, among noncoding RNAs miRNA have emerged as key regulators of different biological processes and it has been suggested that they play an important role in the mechanisms underlying MS pathogenesis. Through in silico methods, miR-629-5p and miR-98-5p were identified as significant factors in MS pathology. The aim of this study was to examine the levels of expression of miR-629-5p and miR-98-5p in blood samples obtained from patients with relapsing-remitting MS. Methods: Total blood were recruited from RRMS and control group and qPCR analysis was used for evaluating of target miRNAs expression. The mirDIP database was utilized to identify the target genes. Hub genes were identified with the Cytoscape and target pathways were identified using the STRING. Results: Expression analysis revealed a significant upregulation of miR-629-5p and miR-98-5p (FC >= 1.5 and p < 0.05) in patients with RRMS. PI3K-Akt, Rap1, MAPK and FoxO signaling pathways were found as target. Discussion: The discovery of these miRNAs suggests that they may have a notable impact on MS patients by intervening on pathways involved in both the immune and nervous systems.