miR-144-3p is a biomarker related to severe corticosteroid-dependent
asthma.
Abstract
Background MicroRNAs are noncoding molecules that act both as
regulators of the epigenetic landscape and as biomarkers for diseases,
including asthma. In the era of personalized medicine there is a need
for novel disease-associated biomarkers that can help in classifying
diseases into phenotypes for treatment selection. Currently, severe
eosinophilic asthma is one of the most widely studied phenotypes in
clinical practice, as many patients require higher and higher doses of
corticosteroids, which in some cases fail to achieve the desired
outcome. Such patients may only be benefit from alternative drugs such
as biologics, for which novel biomarkers are necessary. Methods
MiR-144-3p was evaluated in airway biopsies and serum from asthmatics
and healthy individuals. mRNA was studied in asthmatic biopsies and
smooth muscle cells transfected with miR-144-3p mimic. In silico
regulation of miR-144-3p was performed using miRSystem, miRDB, STRING
and ShinyGO for pathway analysis. Results We found that
miR-144-3p is a biomarker associated to asthma severity and
corticosteroid treatment. MiR-144-3p is increased in asthmatic lungs and
its presence correlates directly with blood eosinophilia and with the
expression of genes involved in asthma pathophysiology in the airways.
When studied in serum, this miRNA was increased in the severe asthmatics
and associated with higher doses of corticosteroids, thereby making it a
potential biomarker for severe asthma previously treated with higher
doses of corticosteroids. Conclusion MiR-144-3p is associated
with severe disease in both the airways and serum of asthmatics, and
this association is related to corticosteroids treatment.