MicroRNA Expression in Cutaneous Lupus: A New Window to Understand Its Pathogenesis

Abstract

Background. The role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of cutaneous lupus has not been studied. Objective. It was to assess the levels of a selected panel of circulating miRNAs that could be involved in the regulation of the immune response, inflammation, and fibrosis in cutaneous lupus. Methods. It was a cross-sectional study. We included 22 patients with subacute (SCLE) and 20 with discoid (DLE) lesions, and 19 healthy donors (HD). qRT-PCR for miRNA analysis, flow cytometry in peripheral blood, and skin immunohistochemistry were performed to determine the distribution of CD4 T cells and regulatory cells and their correlation with circulating miRNAs. Results. miR-150, miR-1246, miR-21, miR-23b, and miR-146 levels were downregulated in SCLE vs. HD. miR-150, miR-1246, and miR-21 levels were downregulated in DLE vs. HD. Peripheral CD4+/CD25-/IL-4+ cells and CD4+/CD25hi/Foxp3+ were negatively associated with miR-23b, and CD4+/CD25-/IFN-γ+ with miR-1246 in SCLE, whereas CD123+/CD196+/IDO+ cells were positively associated with miR-150 in DLE. In the tissue, CD4+/IL-4+ and CD20+/IL-10+ cells were positively associated with miR-21 and CD4+/IFN-γ+ with miR-31 in SCLE, whereas CD4+/IL-4+ cells were positively associated with miR-150, and CD20+/IL-10+ cells with miR-1246 and miR-146a in DLE. In the SCLE, lower miR-150 levels were correlated with higher CLASI scores. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that cell cycle regulation pathways, p53, TGF-β, thyroid hormone, and cancer signaling pathways were shared between miR-21, miR-31, miR-23b, miR-146a, miR-1246, and miR-150. Conclusions. A downregulation of miR-150, miR-1246, and miR-21 in both CLE varieties vs. HD was determined.

MicroRNAs in Several Cutaneous Autoimmune Diseases: Psoriasis, Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus and Atopic Dermatitis

“…In SLE, miRNAs have been analysed in the serum, plasma and urine, and their relation has been established with several lupus manifestations, such as nephritis, oral ulcers and lupus anticoagulant, among others [ 97 ]. Concerning cutaneous lupus, only one study that included SCLE and DLE patients and healthy donors screened a selected panel of miRNAs related with inflammation and fibrosis in the serum [ 98 ]. The study showed that miR-150, miR-1246 and miR-21 are downregulated in both SCLE and DLE compared to healthy controls; therefore, these miRNAs could be of use for CLE diagnosis.…”

MicroRNAs as the Potential Regulators of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Modifiers of the COVID-19 Clinical Features

“…On the other hand, the SARS-CoV-2-specific microRNAs hsa-miR-1246 and hsa-miR-23b show decreased blood serum contents in patients with various forms of systemic lupus erythematosus [ 75 ]. Autoimmune disorders, including systemic lupus erythematosus and Guillain–Barre syndrome, were found to develop after COVID-19 in a number of patients [ 93 ].…”

Rethinking the Pathogenesis of Cutaneous Lupus

“…Circulating microRNAs have been examined and some potential correlations with disease activity have been noted. In particular, lower circulating levels of microRNA (miR)-150 positively correlate with cutaneous disease activity, suggesting an anti-inflammatory role for miR-150 (Méndez-Flores et al, 2019a). In lesional tissue, miR-31 is increased in DLE >SCLE, and when overexpressed, miR-31 contributes to cell death and production of inflammatory cytokines (Solé et al, 2019).…”