Session Information
Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Title: Rheumatoid Arthritis-Small Molecules, Biologics and Gene Therapy VI: Strategies
Session Type: ACR Concurrent Abstract Session
Session Time: 4:30PM-6:00PM
Background/Purpose:
The variable response to anti-TNF therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains largely unexplained, and biomarkers for treatment response are scarce. We previously investigated whole blood micro-RNA (miRNA) as predictors of anti-TNF response. In this study we aimed to investigate association between plasma miRNAs and treatment response in 180 DMARD naïve early RA patients enrolled in the OPERA Study, a prospective, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study.
Methods:
Patients were randomized to methotrexate, intra-articular glucocorticoids plus either adalimumab or placebo. All patients had RA (ACR 1987 criteria). Plasma samples for total RNA purification were collected pre-treatment and at 3-month. 91 specific miRNAs were investigated by quantitative RT-PCR on a microfluidic dynamic array. Cq values were normalized with spiked-in synthetic miRNAs and further normalized using means of all endogenous expressed miRNAs. Means were compared (Welch’s t-test) of pre-treatment miRNAs and of the 3-month change in miRNA expression for the groups of responding and non-responding patients. Response was defined by 12-month ACR/EULAR Boolean remission.
Results:
We successfully profiled 76/91 miRNAs in 180 pre-treatment samples and in 170 (94%) 3-month samples. Pre-treatment expression of six miRNAs (Table 1), and altered change in expression of eight miRNAs (Table 2) were associated (p<0.05) with remission to adalimumab treatment. In the placebo group, pre-treatment expression of 12 miRNAs, and altered change in expression of four miRNAs were associated with remission. Adalimumab treated responders had increased pre-treatment miR-27a-3p (p=0.004), which decreased after 3 months compared to non-responders (p=0.0001). Placebo treated responders had increased miR-27a-3p compared to adalimumab responders (p=0.03). miR-146a decreased (p=0.01) in adalimumab responders vs. non-responders consistent with previous data on miR-146a as a putative marker of disease activity. Placebo responders vs. non-responders did not differ with respect to miR-146a changes. In our previous study of whole blood, miR-23a was also associated with remission in the adalimumab group.
Conclusion:
In this well-characterized cohort we have identified miRNAs predictive of treatment response. Our results suggest miR-27a-3p as particular promising as both predictor and biomarker of response to adalimumab treatment. The results should be interpreted with some reservation due to the large number of associations investigated, and need validation in independent prospective studies.
Table 1. Pre-treatment expression in remitting RA patients |
|
|
|
|
||
miRNA |
Adalimumab + DMARD |
|
Placebo + DMARD |
|
||
|
Remission (n=43) vs no-remission (n=43) |
p-value |
Remission (n=29) vs no- remission (n=54) |
p-value |
||
hsa-miR-27a-3p |
↑ |
0.004 |
– |
0.17 |
||
hsa-miR-10b-5p |
↓ |
0.006 |
– |
0.11 |
||
hsa-miR-23a-3p |
↑ |
0.01 |
– |
0.42 |
||
hsa-miR-142-3p |
↓ |
0.01 |
– |
0.52 |
||
hsa-miR-27b-3p |
↓ |
0.03 |
– |
0.25 |
||
hsa-miR-19b-3p |
↑ |
0.05 |
– |
0.17 |
||
hsa-miR-28-3p |
– |
0.31 |
↑ |
0.01 |
||
hsa-miR-223-3p |
– |
0.14 |
↓ |
0.01 |
||
hsa-miR-145-5p |
– |
0.50 |
↓ |
0.02 |
||
hsa-miR-378-3p |
– |
0.53 |
↑ |
0.02 |
||
hsa-miR-7-5p |
– |
0.34 |
↑ |
0.03 |
||
hsa-miR-15b-5p |
– |
0.89 |
↓ |
0.03 |
||
hsa-miR-106a-5p |
– |
0.18 |
↓ |
0.03 |
||
hsa-miR-342-3p |
– |
0.24 |
↑ |
0.03 |
||
hsa-miR-199a/b-3p |
– |
0.11 |
↓ |
0.03 |
||
hsa-miR-208a-3p |
– |
0.29 |
↑ |
0.03 |
||
hsa-miR-29c-3p |
– |
0.11 |
↓ |
0.05 |
||
hsa-miR-106b-5p |
– |
0.39 |
↓ |
0.05 |
Table 2. Change in expression in remitting RA patients |
|
|
|
|
||||
miRNA |
Adalimumab + DMARD |
|
Placebo + DMARD |
|
||||
|
Remission (n=43) vs. no-remission (n=43) |
p-value |
Remission (n=29) vs. no- remission (n=54) |
p-value |
||||
hsa-miR-27a-3p |
↓ |
0.0001 |
– |
0.25 |
||||
hsa-miR-146a-5p |
↓ |
0.01 |
– |
0.38 |
||||
hsa-miR-29c-3p |
↑ |
0.02 |
– |
0.90 |
||||
hsa-miR-24-3p |
↓ |
0.03 |
– |
0.19 |
||||
hsa-miR-423-5p |
↓ |
0.04 |
↑ |
0.01 |
||||
hsa-miR-21-5p |
↓ |
0.04 |
– |
0.16 |
||||
hsa-miR-122-5p |
↑ |
0.04 |
– |
0.72 |
||||
hsa-miR-19b-3p |
↓ |
0.05 |
– |
0.09 |
||||
hsa-miR-659-3p |
– |
0.33 |
↓ |
0.03 |
||||
hsa-miR-10b-5p |
– |
0.08 |
↑ |
0.04 |
||||
hsa-miR-28-3p |
– |
0.09 |
↓ |
0.05 |
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Sode J, Krintel SB, Carlsen AL, Lund Hetland M, Johansen J, Hørslev-Petersen K, Stengaard-Pedersen K, Junker P, Østergaard M, Heegaard NHH. Circulating Micro-RNA Profiles in Responders to Adalimumab Plus Methotrexate Versus Methotrexate Alone: A Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015; 67 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/circulating-micro-rna-profiles-in-responders-to-adalimumab-plus-methotrexate-versus-methotrexate-alone-a-placebo-controlled-clinical-trial/. Accessed .« Back to 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting
ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/circulating-micro-rna-profiles-in-responders-to-adalimumab-plus-methotrexate-versus-methotrexate-alone-a-placebo-controlled-clinical-trial/