Tian Yilin, Cui Xiuqing, Guan Xin, Meng Xiang, Zheng Min, Wang Xin, Cheng Guoping, Xia Ying, Ye Meng
National Institute for Occupational Health and Poison Control, 535366Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Applied Toxicology, 498598Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hubei, China.
Toxicol Ind Health. 2023 Apr;39(4):204-217. doi: 10.1177/07482337231156281. Epub 2023 Feb 25.
The purpose of this study was to characterize the microRNA (miRNA) profile of the lung tissues from coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) and silicosis and to analyze the changes in downstream genes, biological processes, and signaling pathways based on the differently expressed miRNAs. Lung tissues from three CWP patients, eight silicosis patients, and four healthy controls were collected and analyzed for their miRNA profiles using Affymetrix® GeneChip® miRNA Arrays. Differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were identified between the different groups. The miRanda and TargetScan databases were used to predict the putative target genes, and volcano and heat maps were drawn. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were then performed to screen the DEMs-associated biological process and signaling pathways, respectively. Further identification with a comprehensive literature research involving particle exposure, fibrosis, inflammation and lung cancer were used to further screen DEMs of CWP and silicosis. Microarray data showed that 375 and 88 miRNAs were differentially expressed in CWP and silicosis lung tissues compared with healthy lung tissues, while 34 miRNAs were differentially expressed in CWP compared with silicosis lung tissues. The GO and KEGG pathway analyses showed that, the target genes were mainly enriched in the TGF-β, MAPK, p53 and other signal pathways. These results provided insight into the miRNA-related underlying mechanisms of CWP and silicosis, and they provided new clues for miRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of these two diseases.
本研究的目的是表征煤工尘肺（CWP）和矽肺患者肺组织的微小RNA（miRNA）谱，并基于差异表达的miRNA分析下游基因、生物学过程和信号通路的变化。收集了3例CWP患者、8例矽肺患者和4例健康对照的肺组织，使用Affymetrix® GeneChip® miRNA阵列分析其miRNA谱。鉴定不同组之间差异表达的miRNA（DEM）。使用miRanda和TargetScan数据库预测潜在的靶基因，并绘制火山图和热图。然后分别进行基因本体论（GO）和京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）通路富集分析，以筛选与DEM相关的生物学过程和信号通路。通过涉及颗粒物暴露、纤维化、炎症和肺癌的综合文献研究进行进一步鉴定，以进一步筛选CWP和矽肺的DEM。微阵列数据显示，与健康肺组织相比，CWP和矽肺肺组织中有375个和88个miRNA差异表达，而与矽肺肺组织相比，CWP中有34个miRNA差异表达。GO和KEGG通路分析表明，靶基因主要富集在TGF-β、MAPK、p53等信号通路中。这些结果为CWP和矽肺的miRNA相关潜在机制提供了见解，并为miRNA作为这两种疾病诊断和鉴别诊断的生物标志物提供了新线索。
