Key Laboratory of Shaanxi Province for Craniofacial Precision Medicine Research, College of Stomatology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, China; Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases (Xi'an Jiaotong University), Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China.
Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases (Xi'an Jiaotong University), Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China.
Psychiatry Res. 2018 Jul;265:70-76. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.03.080. Epub 2018 Apr 7.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous and non-coding single-stranded RNAs with length of about 22 nucleotides, and many are evolutionarily conserved. Although postmortem brain samples provide direct evidence of miRNA dysregulation within the brain, peripheral tissue samples can be obtained from living subjects and have the potential to yield biomarkers that could be used as diagnostic tools. To verify and detect additional miRNAs differentially expressed in peripheral blood and further explore their diagnostic value and function for schizophrenia, we performed a next-generation sequencing approach in combination with a literature search to select appropriate miRNAs. We then used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to identify miRNAs expressed aberrantly in schizophrenia. Binary regression analysis identified miR-22-3p, miR-92a-3p, and miR-137. Analysis of receiver operating characteristics (ROC) indicated that these three miRNAs could be used in combination as a biomarker for schizophrenia. Bioinformatic analyses of these genes and gene ontology (GO) enrichment revealed that the combination of miR-22-3p, miR-92a-3p, and miR-137 was closely associated with synaptic structure and function, which play important roles in the etiology and pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
微小 RNA（miRNAs）是一类内源性非编码单链 RNA，长度约为 22 个核苷酸，许多 miRNA 在进化上具有保守性。虽然死后脑组织样本提供了大脑中 miRNA 失调的直接证据，但可以从活体获得外周组织样本，并且有可能产生可作为诊断工具的生物标志物。为了验证和检测外周血中差异表达的其他 miRNAs，并进一步探索其对精神分裂症的诊断价值和功能，我们采用下一代测序方法结合文献检索来选择合适的 miRNAs。然后，我们使用实时定量聚合酶链反应（RT-qPCR）来鉴定精神分裂症中异常表达的 miRNAs。二项回归分析确定了 miR-22-3p、miR-92a-3p 和 miR-137。接收器操作特性（ROC）分析表明，这三个 miRNAs 可以联合作为精神分裂症的生物标志物。对这些基因和基因本体论（GO）富集的生物信息学分析表明，miR-22-3p、miR-92a-3p 和 miR-137 的组合与突触结构和功能密切相关，而突触结构和功能在精神分裂症的病因和发病机制中起着重要作用。
