Evaluation of miR-۳۰۱b and miR-۳۰۲b Expressions in the Serum of Cystic Fibrosis Patients and their Association with Clinical Scoring System

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a mutation in CF transmembrane conductance regulator gene (CFTR). Clinical manifestations of the disease and their severity have considerable variations in patients having similar mutations in CFTR gene. This can be due to different polymorphisms, epigenetic changes and microRNAs (miRNAs) as gene modifiers. Considering the proven roles of miR-۳۰۱b and miR-۳۰۲b on infection and inflammation, expression of these miRNAs might change in CF patients.Methods: In this study, ۳۰ CF patients (homozygous for ΔF۵۰۸ mutation) and ۳۰ healthy individuals were participated and their demographic data were recorded. The whole RNA was extracted from serum samples and cDNA was synthesized. Using Real-Time PCR, expression levels of miR-۳۰۱b and miR-۳۰۲b were measured between the patient and normal groups. Patient classification was carried out based on Shwachman-Kulczycki score, and expression levels of these miRNAs were determined in these classifications. All statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS software, version ۲۱.Results: Statistical analyses of qRT-PCR results showed a significant increase in serum levels of miR-۳۰۱b and miR-۳۰۲b expression (p-Values of ۰.۰۲ and ۰.۰۳; fold changes of ۳.۷۳ and ۱.۹۵, respectively) in CF patients compared to healthy controls. A significant increase (p<۰.۰۵) in miR-۳۰۱b expression level was observed in severe, moderate and mild groups, while miR-۳۰۲b expression level was increased in CF patients of severe and moderate groups according to Shwachman-Kulczycki score.Conclusion: Expression levels of miR-۳۰۱b and miR-۳۰۲b are different based on the clinical scoring system. This data suggests that expressions of these two miRNAs are influenced by infection and inflammation of CF patients. Further studies can lead to the development of innovative treatment strategies.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cystic fibrosis ، Shwachman-Kulczycki score ، MicroRNA ، miR-۳۰۱b ، miR-۳۰۲b