ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effects of asbestos exposure on plasma miRNA expression.Methods Plasma samples were collected from control group and asbestos -exposed group (time of exposure >10 years)and three samples from each group were selected to detect differentially expressed miRNA using LC Sciences miRNA Microarray -Single.The target genes of differential miRNA were predicted by three kinds of online software,Target Scan,miRanda and PicTar.GO term enrichment and KEGG pathways were analyzed.Results The results of microarray indicated that there were 40 differential miRNA expression between exposed and control groups(P <0.05),and the signal value of 9 differential miRNA exceeded 500.After analyzing signal pathways of target genes of 5 miRNA,of which the signal values were over 500,these target genes were found mainly involved in pathways associated with cancer and metabolism,including potential function targets of FAS,TP53 and FGFR3.Conclusion Asbestos exposure can result in differentially expressed miRNA in the plasma from workers occupationally exposed to asbestos and the target genes of these miRNA may play important roles in the pathways of cancer.However,the mechanism of these miRNA in asbestos -related diseases needs to be further studied in the future.