Differential Expression of miRNA-192 is a Potential Biomarker for HIV Associated Immune Recovery Uveitis

ABSTRACT

Purpose

Notwithstanding well-established clinical features of Immune Recovery Uveitis (IRU), specific diagnostic tools to identify at-risk patients are lacking. Identification of biomarkers for IRU prediction can allow high-risk patients to benefit from specific preventive strategies, development of therapies, and elucidate immune reconstitution associated pathogenesis.

Methods

HIV+ patients were classified into four groups (A, B, C and D) with and without ocular manifestations, with follow-up over a year. Patients’ ocular parameters were examined and manifestations like uveitis and IRU noted. Selected miRNAs were investigated in PBMCs by using miRNA PCR assay. Bioinformatic analysis used miRNet to predict the targets of miRNA-192-5p and miRNA-543 and KOBAS for pathways.

Results

Hsa-miR-192-5p and hsa-miR-543 levels were measured by qPCR using RNA isolated from PBMCs of HIVinfected patients. Hsa-miR-192-5p and hsa-miR-543 were down regulated in patients exhibiting ocular manifestations. Our results showed hsa-miR-192-5p (Group B vs D p 0.007) and hsa-miR-543 levels in PBMCs reliably distinguish between HIV patients diagnosed with IRU. Both miRNAs target multiple genes involved in inflammatory pathways as predicted by bioinformatic analysis.

Conclusion

Decreased expression levels of miRNA-192 in patients with ocular manifestations and IRU, could facilitate identification of the status of the disease in HIV patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Acquired Immuno-Deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
• biomarker
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• Immune Recovery Uveitis (IRU)
• microRNA
• opportunistic infections (OI)

Author contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: DD, ABA, NC. Performed the experiments: DD, ABA. Analyzed the data: DD, NC. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: SSN, SP, NK, TJ, NC. Wrote the paper: DD, SSN, NC. The authors have no conflicting interests.

Disclosure statement

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

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09273948.2022.2106247

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) report that this study was supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India,BT/PR8585/AGR/36/780/2013. DD's fellowship is supported by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India.