الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the primary cause of non-traumatic neurological disability in young adults. Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) is the most prevalent MS subtype. Ample evidence indicated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial players in autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Despite the rapidly increasing data concerning MS-related lncRNAs, the impact of others remains to be explored. This study investigated for the first time the expression profiles of lnc-EGFR, SNHG1, and lincRNA-Cox2 in Egyptian patients with RRMS during active relapses and in remission. Besides, the expression of FOXP3, a master transcription factor for T-regulatory cells, and the NLRP3 inflammasome-related genes were determined. Relations between these parameters and MS activity and annualized relapse rate (ARR) were evaluated. Expression of the three lncRNAs, FOXP3, NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 along with serum TGF-β1and IL-1β levels were measured in 70 RRMS patients (35 during relapse and 35 in remission) and 30 healthy controls. RRMS patients showed significant downregulation of lnc-EGFR and FOXP3 together with dramatic upregulation of SNHG1, lincRNA-Cox2, NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1 expression compared to controls. Lower serum TGF-β1 and elevated IL-1β levels were observed in RRMS patients. Notably, patients during relapses displayed more significant alterations than those in remission. Lnc-EGFR was positively correlated with FOXP3 and TGF-β1, and negatively correlated with ARR, SNHG1, lincRNA-Cox2 and NLRP3 inflammasome-components. Meanwhile, SNHG1 and lincRNA-Cox2 were positively correlated with ARR, NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1 and IL-1β. Excellent diagnostic performance for lnc-EGFR, FOXP3 and TGF-β1 was demonstrated, while all the biomarkers exhibited strong prognostic potential for predicting relapses. Finally, the differential expression of lnc-EGFR, SNHG1, and lincRNA-Cox2 in RRMS patients especially during relapses suggests their involvement in RRMS pathogenesis and activity. Moreover, correlation between their expression and ARR implies relation to disease progression. Our findings also highlight their promising roles as biomarkers for RRMS. |