The study of miR-202-3p gene expression in Multiple Sclerosis patients

Introduction: Examining the role of microRNAs as a biomarker for the diagnosis of this disease is one of thenewest research in the field of genetics. miR-202-3p is an intronic miRNA located in the ADA (adenosinedeaminase) gene. ADA is the principal enzyme involved in the catabolic pathway of adenosine to inosine and asa powerful evolutionary mechanism, regulates inflammatory response and tissue damage protection. The purposeof this study was to investigate the expression levels of miR-202-3p in patients with multiple sclerosis andhealthy individuals in the general population of Isfahan.Methods: The study population included 49 patients with RRMS and 52 healthy individuals who had no historyof autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Total RNA was extracted from blood lymphocytes of the subjectsusing Ficoll and TRIzol. Then, cDNA was synthesized using miRNA cDNA synthesis kit. Finally, miR-202-3pexpression was determined in healthy individuals and patients using real-time PCR technique.Results: Based on the results, the expression rate of miR-202-3p is greater in patients compared with healthyindividuals (P = 0.006).Conclusion: The results were consistent with previous studies and miR-202-3p can be used as a biomarker forthe diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. It seems that miR-202-3p acts as an immunosuppressant by inhibiting theADA gene, which regulates various processes related to inflammatory response and tissue damage protection.

Keywords:

Multiple Sclerosis , miR-202-3p , ADA gene