Identification of potential biomarkers and pathways in ulcerative colitis with combined public mRNA and miRNA expression microarray data analysis.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, relapsing and non-specific inflammatory disease, involving various genes and pathways in their pathogenesis. Increasing evidences have showed that microRNAs (miRNAs) act as key post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression in UC. This current study aimed to identify key miRNAs, potential target genes, and relevant pathways involved in UC to uncover their underlying molecular mechanisms by using bioinformatics analysis.

METHODS:

The mRNA and miRNA expression profiles were retrieved and downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and miRNAs (DEMIs) were obtained by using the R software package.

RESULTS:

A total of 79 DEGs and 47 DEMIs were obtained. And a panel of miRNAs and their target mRNAs were identified. It showed that miR-1231 may be a key regulator for DUOX2 and TFF1. CCL11 may be potentially targeted by miR-625. MMP1 may play vital roles in the development of UC by regulating the miR-1228/PPAR signaling pathway. In addition, we validated the most significantly up/down-expressed miRNAs (miR-92b, miR-625) and two of their corresponding target mRNAs (AQP8 and TAGAP, CCL11 and CHI3L1) in colon tissues of UC models preliminarily. The results were consistent with the microarray analysis.

CONCLUSIONS:

These findings may provide new insights into representing key mechanisms associated with the development of UC.

• Authors: Lili Yang, Yaoyao Bian, Zhengjun Li, Yan Yan, Junyi Li, Wenlin Li, Li Zeng
• Journal: Journal of gastrointestinal oncology (J Gastrointest Oncol) Vol. 10 Issue 5 Pg. 847-858 (Oct 2019) ISSN: 2078-6891 [Print] China
• PMID: 31602322 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: 2019 Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology. All rights reserved.