ABSTRACT
Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) has emerged as an accelerated-incidence chronic condition. UC has been identified as a precancerous lesion for colorectal cancer. Up-to-date genomic research revealed the value of many noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in UC pathogenesis, diagnosis, and prognosis. Aim: The present study was aimed at measuring both MALAT-1 and CCAT-1 in the sera of UC patients as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and correlating them with the Mayo score which is a novel predictive indicator of malignant transformation as well as with clinicopathological characteristics of the disease. Patients and methods: Sixty-six UC patients and 80 healthy individuals participated in this study, the serum fold changes of MALAT-1 and CCAT-1 were measured by using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Results: The current study findings include overexpressed lncRNAs MALAT-1 and CCAT-1 in the sera of ulcerative colitis patients [(median (IQR) = 2.290 (0.16-9.36), mean ± SD = 3.37 ± 3.904 for MALAT-1, and median (IQR) = 7.305 (0.57-16.96), mean ± SD = 6.81 ± 4.002 for CCAT-1 than controls, ROC curve analysis reported that these genes could predict UC. Both genes were positively correlated with each other which enforces their synergistic effects. Both genes are diagnostic for UC patients.We related studied genes to the severity of the disease. In addition to a significant positive correlation between each gene with ESR and Mayo score, we further classified the patients according to severity (according to Mayo score to remission, mild, moderate, and severe groups) with the following results; lower levels of MALAT-1 and CCAT-1 were significantly associated with mild disease and increased gradually with more severe forms of the disease (p < 0.05). Linear regression analysis with Mayo Score as a dependent variable revealed that only the predictive power of CCAT-1 and ESR are significant. Moreover, ROC curve analysis when compared to that of the Mayo score revealed that CCAT-1 reached 99 % accuracy. In summary, both genes are prognostic factors for UC patients. Conclusion: MALAT-1 and CCAT-1 are diagnostic and prognostic serum biomarkers of ulcerative colitis.
ABSTRACT
Background/aim: IFNG-AS1 is a long noncoding RNA that works as an enhancer for the Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) transcript. GAS5 (growth arrest-specific 5) is a lncRNA that is associated with glucocorticoid resistance. Aberrant expressions of IFNG-AS1 and GAS5 are directly linked to numerous autoimmune disorders but their levels in childhood ITP are still obscure. This study aims to elucidate expressions of target lncRNAs in childhood ITP and their association with pathophysiology and clinical features of the disease as well as their association with types and treatment responses. Method: The fold changes of target lncRNAs in blood samples from children with ITP and healthy controls were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Results: There were overexpressed lncRNAs IFNG-AS1 and GAS5 in serum of childhood ITP patients [(median (IQR) = 3.08 (0.2-22.39) and 4.19 (0.9-16.91) respectively, Also, significant higher IFNG-AS1 and GAS5 (p < 0.05) were present in persistent ITP (3-12 months) [ median (IQR) = 4.58 (0.31-22.39) and 3.77 (0.87-12.36) respectively] or chronic ITP (>12 months) [ median (IQR) = 5.6 (0.25-12.59) and 5.61 (1.15-16.91) respectively] when compared to newly diagnosed <3 months patients [IFNG-AS1 median (IQR) = 1.21 (0.2-8.95), and GAS5 median (IQR) = 1.07 (0.09-3.55)]. Also, significant higher lncRNAs IFNG-AS1 and GAS5 were present in patients with partial response to treatment [IFNG-AS1 median (IQR) = 4.15 (0.94-19.25), and GAS5 (median (IQR) = 4.25 (0.81-16.91)] or non-response [IFNG-AS1 median (IQR) = 4.19 (1.25-22.39) and GAS5 median (IQR) = 5.11 (2.34-15.27)] when compared to patients who completely responded to treatment (IFNG-AS1 median (IQR) = 2.09 (0.2-14.58) and GAS5 (median (IQR) = 2.51 (0.09-10.33). In addition, following therapy, the expressions of IFNG-AS1 and GAS5 are significantly negatively correlated with platelet count. Conclusion: Findings suggest that lncRNAs IFNG-AS1 and GAS5 are novel diagnostic and prognostic genetic markers for childhood ITP that can aid in a precise prediction of the disease's progress at the time of diagnosis and could be a useful tool for treatment planning.
