ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

Abstract Number: 2840

MiR-125-b Is a Promising Biomarker for Giant Cell Arteritis in Patients with Negative Temporal Artery Biopsy Examination

Tadeja Kuret1, Mojca Frank Bertoncelj2, Katja Lakota3,4, Snezna Sodin Semrl3,4, Saša Čučnik3,5, Matija Tomšič3,6 and Alojzija Hočevar1, 1Department of Rheumatology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2Center of Experimental Rheumatology, Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, 3University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Department of Rheumatology, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 4University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Science and Information Technology, Koper, Slovenia, 5University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 6Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Meeting: 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Keywords: ,

Session Information

Date: Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Session Title: 5T093 ACR Abstract: Vasculitis–Non-ANCA-Assocd & Rel D/Os II: Novel Diagnostics & THRs (2838–2843)

Session Type: ACR Concurrent Abstract Session

Session Time: 2:30PM-4:00PM

Background/Purpose:

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic vasculitis of large- and medium-sized arteries, diagnosed either with a temporal artery biopsy (TAB) histology or by imaging techniques. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), the small non-coding RNAs, regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally and contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, including GCA (1). We aimed to explore whether miRNA expression in TABs of treatment-naïve GCA patients is deregulated and could separate TAB-positive GCA from TAB-negative or non-GCA patients.

Methods:

Total RNA was isolated from TABs of 24 patients, suspected of having GCA at disease presentation. These patients comprised 3 groups: GCA patients with transmural artery inflammation (TAB-positive; n=12), GCA patients without inflammation (TAB-negative, n=6), and patients in whom GCA was finally refuted (non-GCA, n=6). Occlusion of lumen of temporal arteries in GCA patients was also recorded. The expression of selected miRNAs (based on literature search), including miR-155, -146-a, -146-b, -299, -17-3p, -181-b, -125-b and -29-b was measured with TaqMan qPCR using specific single TaqMan miRNA assays and normalization to the levels of the small nucleolar RNA (RNU48).

Results:

While confirming significantly higher median (IQR) of miR-155 expression in TAB-positive GCA patients (0.118 (0.096)) as compared to TAB-negative GCA patients (0.017 (0.051); p<0.01) and non-GCA patients (0.029 (0.083); p<0.05) (1), our study also shows significantly lower miR-17-3p expression in TAB-positive (0.002 (0.001)) vs. TAB-negative (0.003 (0.001); p<0.05) GCA patients. MiR-125-b expression was significantly up-regulated in TAB-positive (0.410 (0.358); p<0.05) and TAB-negative (0.910 (0.573); p<0.001) GCA patients as compared to non-GCA patients (0.029 (0.024)). There was no difference observed between the three groups of patients for miR-146-a, -146-b, -299, -181-b and -29-b. GCA patients with occlusion of lumen of temporal arteries had significantly higher expression of miR-155 (0.113 (0.102) vs 0.036 (0.09); p<0.05), -146-b (1.029 (0.1) vs 0.305 (0.574); p<0.01) and -299 (0.004 (0.006) vs 0.001 (0.002); p<0.01) as compared to patients without lumen occlusion.

Conclusion:

Our study reports for the first time that miR-125-b could be useful as a biomarker for distinguishing non-GCA patients from TAB-negative GCA patients. MiR-125-b could potentially be involved in tissue remodelling, since it was found to regulate matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9. This could aid, in the future, to identify patients with atypical GCA presentation, without signs of inflammation in TABs.

References:

  1. Crocci S, et al. MicroRNA markers of inflammation and remodelling in temporal arteries from patients with giant cell arteritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2016;75(8): 1527-33.
Disclosure: T. Kuret, None; M. Frank Bertoncelj, None; K. Lakota, None; S. Sodin Semrl, None; S. Čučnik, None; M. Tomšič, None; A. Hočevar, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Kuret T, Frank Bertoncelj M, Lakota K, Sodin Semrl S, Čučnik S, Tomšič M, Hočevar A. MiR-125-b Is a Promising Biomarker for Giant Cell Arteritis in Patients with Negative Temporal Artery Biopsy Examination [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018; 70 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/mir-125-b-is-a-promising-biomarker-for-giant-cell-arteritis-in-patients-with-negative-temporal-artery-biopsy-examination/. Accessed July 11, 2020.

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