Increase in MEG3, MALAT1, NEAT1 Significantly Predicts the Clinical Parameters in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Aim: This study investigated deregulation of lncRNAs MEG3, MALAT1, NEAT1 and their associations with clinical parameters in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Materials & #x0026; methods: LncRNAs MALAT1, MEG3, NEAT1 were quantified from peripheral blood mono-nuclear cells (PBMCs) and plasma of 82 RA patients with 15 matched controls and from knee fluid of 24 RA patients with ten osteoarthritis controls. Multivariate analyses were performed among lncRNAs and clinical parameters of RA. Results:MALAT1, MEG3, NEAT1 were increased in PBMCs, plasma, synovial fluid (p < 0.05) of RA patients. Significant correlations were observed for MEG3 with TJC (r = 0.29), NEAT1 with TJC (r = 0.49), swollen joint count (r = 0.20), DAS28-CRP (r = 0.29). Multivariate analysis revealed that 48.5% of TJC and 31.5% of swollen joint count could be predicted by lncRNAs. Conclusion: The findings suggested that the lncRNAs might be explored as probable markers in monitoring disease activity.

Keywords::

• biomarker
• clinical impact of noncoding RNA
• disease activity
• epigenetics
• linear regression
• long noncoding RNA
• rheumatoid arthritis
• rheumatology
• SJC
• TJC

Supplemental Material

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the kind help extended by S Banerji and S Datta of the School of Digestive and Liver Diseases of IPGME&R/SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, India. I would also like to thank their unconditional support in this work. We kindly express our gratitude to the Director of IPGME&R/SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, India, for providing us with the infrastructure to conduct this study.

Financial & #x0026; competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The study was duly approved by the ethical committee of IPGME&R/SSKM Hospital. In addition, verbal and written informed consent from the patients were obtained for the inclusion of their medical and treatment history within this work.