Differential expression and correlation of immunoregulation related piRNA in rheumatoid arthritis

Ruyu Ren; Huiling Tan; Zhuochun Huang; Yuanyi Wang; Bin Yang

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1175924

Differential expression and correlation of immunoregulation related piRNA in rheumatoid arthritis

Front Immunol. 2023 May 30:14:1175924. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1175924. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Ruyu Ren¹, Huiling Tan¹, Zhuochun Huang¹, Yuanyi Wang², Bin Yang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
² Department of Spine Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.

Abstract

Background: Although PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) have recently been associated with germline development and many human diseases, their expression pattern and relationship in autoimmune diseases remain indistinct. This study aimed to investigate the presence and correlation of piRNAs in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: We first analyzed the expression profile of piRNAs using small RNA sequencing in peripheral leukocytes of three new-onset untreated RA patients and three healthy controls (HCs). We then selected piRNAs related to immunoregulation by bioinformatics analysis and verified them in 42 new-onset RA patients and 81 HCs by RT-qPCR. Furthermore, a receiver operating characteristic curve was generated to quantify the diagnostic performance of these piRNAs. A correlation analysis was conducted to observe the link between piRNA expression and RA clinical characteristics.

Results: A total of 15 upregulated and 9 downregulated piRNAs among 1,565 known piRNAs were identified in peripheral leukocytes of RA patients. Dysregulated piRNAs were enriched in numerous pathways related to immunity. After selection and validation, two immunoregulation piRNAs (piR-hsa-27620 and piR-hsa-27124) were significantly elevated in RA patients and have good abilities to distinguish patients from controls, which have the potential to serve as biomarkers. PIWI and other proteins implicated in the piRNA pathway were also associated with RA.

Keywords: PIWI; biomarker; peripheral blood; piRNA; rheumatoid arthritis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Arthritis, Rheumatoid* / genetics
Biomarkers
Humans
Piwi-Interacting RNA*
Proteins
RNA, Small Interfering / genetics
RNA, Small Interfering / metabolism

Substances

Piwi-Interacting RNA
RNA, Small Interfering
Biomarkers
Proteins

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81772258), the Jilin Provincial Department of Science and Technology (20230204049YY) and Norman Bethune Program of Jilin University (2022B04).