Differential expression and significance of miRNAs in plasma extracellular vesicles of patients with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Objective

To study the feasibility of plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) miRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Methods

Plasma EVs were isolated from 30 PD patients and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Plasma EVs miRNAs were analysed by qRT-PCR. SH-SY5Y cells were induced by different concentrations of 1-Methyl-4-phenil-pyridinium (MPP⁺) to obtain PD cellular model. The levels of miRNAs and α-synuclein (α-syn) in PD cellular model were analysed by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to determine the diagnostic usefulness of the miRNAs in plasma EVs for PD. The gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathways of the target genes of miRNAs were analysed by softwares.

Results

The level of hsa-miR-30c-2-3p in plasma EVs was significantly higher in PD patients than that in controls, and the levels of hsa-miR-15b-5p, hsa-miR-138-5p, hsa-miR-338-3p, hsa-miR-106b-3p and hsa-miR-431-5p in plasma EVs were lower in PD patients than that in controls. When compared with the control group, the area under the curve (AUC) values for hsa-miR-15b-5p, hsa-miR-30c-2-3p, hsa-miR-138-5p, hsa-miR-431-5p, hsa-miR-338-3p and hsa-miR-106b-3p were all greater than 0.6. The target genes of hsa-miR-15b-5p, hsa-miR-30c-2-3p, hsa-miR-138-5p and hsa-miR-338-3p were enriched in dopaminergic synapse and PD pathway.

Conclusions

The hsa-miR-15b-5p, hsa-miR-30c-2-3p, hsa-miR-138-5p, hsa-miR-106b-3p, hsa-miR-338-3p and hsa-miR-431-5p may be used as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of PD, and the combined diagnostic accuracy of hsa-miR-15b-5p, hsa-miR-30c-2-3p, hsa-miR-138-5p and hsa-miR-106b-3p was better. The target genes of hsa-miR-15b-5p, hsa-miR-30c-2-3p, hsa-miR-138-5p and hsa-miR-338-3p may regulate the expression of dopamine by dopaminergic synapse and PD pathway.

Highlights

• Isolation and identification of plasma EVs.

• The miRNAs in plasma EVs may be used as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of PD.

• When SH-SY5Y cells were induced by different concentrations of MPP⁺, the levels of miRNAs and α-syn changed gradually.

• The target genes of miRNAs were enriched in dopaminergic synapse and PD pathway.

• The target genes of miRNAs may regulate the expression of dopamine.

Keywords:

• Parkinson’s disease
• extracellular vesicles
• miRNAs
• α-synuclein
• gene ontology
• KEGG pathway

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by science and technology project grant from Anhui Province (NO: 1506c085017, NO: 1606c08235) and the Central Government Guides Local Science and Technology Development Projects (NO: 2017070802D144).