Expression of Selected Genes and Circulating microRNAs in Patients with Celiac Disease
Elena Maria Domsa,
Ioana Berindan-Neagoe,
Livia Budisan,
Cornelia Braicu,
Ioana Para,
Alina Ioana Tantau,
Olga Hilda Orasan,
Lidia Ciobanu,
Teodora Atena Pop,
Gabriela Adriana Filip,
Nicoleta Leach,
Vasile Negrean,
Daniela Matei,
Vasile Andreica
Affiliations
Elena Maria Domsa
4th Medical Clinic, Department 5-Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Ioana Berindan-Neagoe
Research Center for Functional Genomics, Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400337 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Livia Budisan
Research Center for Functional Genomics, Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400337 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Cornelia Braicu
Research Center for Functional Genomics, Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400337 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Ioana Para
4th Medical Clinic, Department 5-Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Alina Ioana Tantau
4th Medical Clinic, Department 5-Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Olga Hilda Orasan
4th Medical Clinic, Department 5-Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Lidia Ciobanu
3rd Medical Clinic, Department 5-Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Teodora Atena Pop
3rd Medical Clinic, Department 5-Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Gabriela Adriana Filip
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Nicoleta Leach
4th Medical Clinic, Department 5-Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Vasile Negrean
4th Medical Clinic, Department 5-Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Daniela Matei
3rd Medical Clinic, Department 5-Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Vasile Andreica
3rd Medical Clinic, Department 5-Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Background and Objectives: Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated enteropathy with characteristic intestinal alterations. CD occurs as a chronic inflammation secondary to gluten sensitivity in genetically susceptible individuals. Until now, the exact cause of the disease has not been established, which is why new studies have appeared that address the involvement of various genes and microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenesis. The aim of the study is to describe the expression of selected genes (Wnt family member 3, WNT3; Wnt family member 11, WNT11; tumor necrosis factor alpha, TNFα; mitogen-activated protein kinase 1, MAPK1; AKT serine/threonine kinase 3, AKT3; phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha, PIK3CA; and cyclin D1, CCND1) and miRNAs (miR-192-5p, miR-194-5p, miR-449a and miR-638) in adult patients with CD. Materials and Methods: In total, 15 patients with CD at diagnosis (newly diagnosed), 33 patients on a gluten-free diet (GFD) for at least 1 year and 10 controls (control) were prospectively included. Blood samples were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: The results show that TNFα, MAPK1 and CCND1 were significantly overexpressed (p = 0.0249, p = 0.0019 and p = 0.0275, respectively) when comparing the newly diagnosed group to the controls. The other genes studied in CD patients were mostly with high values compared to controls, without reaching statistical significance. Among the miRNAs, the closest to a statistically significant value was miR-194-5p when the newly diagnosed group versus control (p = 0.0510) and GFD group versus control (p = 0.0671) were compared. The DIANA and miRNet databases identified significant functional activity for miR-449a and miR-192-5p and an interconnection of miR-194-5p and miR-449a with CCND1. Conclusions: In conclusion, genes and circulating miRNAs require further studies as they could represent important biomarkers in clinical practice.
