Biomedicines (Nov 2023)

Exploring Circulating Long Non-Coding RNAs in Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients’ Blood

  • Bruna De Felice,
  • Cinzia Coppola,
  • Simona Bonavita,
  • Elisabetta Signoriello,
  • Concetta Montanino,
  • Federica Farinella

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11112963
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 11
p. 2963

Abstract

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Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional clinical stage prior to dementia. Patients with amnestic MCI have a high risk of progression toward Alzheimer’s disease. Both amnestic mild cognitive impairment and sporadic Alzheimer’s disease are multifactorial disorders consequential from a multifaceted cross-talk among molecular and biological processes. Non-coding RNAs play an important role in the regulation of gene expression, mainly long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), that regulate other RNA transcripts through binding microRNAs. Cross-talk between RNAs, including coding RNAs and non-coding RNAs, produces a significant regulatory network all through the transcriptome. The relationship of genes and non-coding RNAs could improve the knowledge of the genetic factors contributing to the predisposition and pathophysiology of MCI. The objective of this study was to identify the expression patterns and relevant lncRNA-associated miRNA regulatory axes in the blood of MCI patients, which includes lncRNA-SNHG16, lncRNA-H19, and lncRNA-NEAT1. Microarray investigations have demonstrated modifications in the expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) in the blood of patients with MCI compared with control samples. This is the first study to explore lncRNA profiles in mild cognitive impairment blood. Our study proposes RNAs targets involved in molecular pathways connected to the pathogenesis of MCI.

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