Altered Expression Profile of Circular RNAs in the Serum of Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy Revealed by Microarray

Abstract

Purpose: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness among working age adults. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a kind of noncoding RNAs that are involved in the development of some diseases. Here, we aimed to determine the possible role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of DR by determining the expression profile of circRNAs in the serum of DR patients. Methods: Nineteen subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus with proliferative DR (T2DR), 15 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus without DR (T2DM), and 21 age-matched nondiabetic control subjects were included in the study. Expression profiles in the serum samples from 5 subjects of each group were studied by circular microarray and validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain re- action (qRT-PCR) in another 40 subjects. Bioinformatic software was used to predict the microRNA response elements. Results: Thirty circRNAs were significantly upregulated in the serum of T2DR patients compared with the serum from both T2DM and control patients. Further, the altered expression of 7 circRNAs (hsa_circRNA_063981, hsa_circRNA_ 404457, hsa_circRNA_100750, hsa_circRNA_406918, hsa_ circRNA_104387, hsa_circRNA_103410, and hsa_circRNA_ 100192) were verified by qRT-PCR. Conclusion: This study suggested a potential role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of DR and provides novel molecular targets for clinical therapy.

Extracellular RNA profiles with human age

“…A limited number of papers have examined whether circRNAs may be present in serum, mostly using computational methods (Amorim et al., 2017; Gu et al., 2017; Wei et al., 2017). Here, we have used a combination approach and identified 133 extracellular circRNAs (ex‐circRNAs) and further validated age‐related changes in three different ex‐circRNAs: circ_1305 , circ_722, and circ_1445 .…”

Roles of Circular RNAs And Their Interactions With MicroRNAs in Human Disorders

“…The CDR1as/miR-7 pathway also plays a role in inducing cardiomyocyte apoptosis to promote showed the highest value as a therapeutic target in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus [43] . Through the study of sera from diabetic retinopathy patients via circular microarray, 30 circRNAs were observed to be markedly upregulated [44] . Subsequently, circ_0005015 was verified as being upregulated in the plasma, vitreous samples, and fibrovascular membranes of diabetic retinopathy patients and to facilitate retinal endothelial angiogenic function by targeting miR-519d-3p [45] .…”

circRNAs Signature as Potential Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker for Diabetes Mellitus and Related Cardiovascular Complications

“…The role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of DR has been investigated lately. Gu et al found that some circRNAs were significantly upregulated in the serum of patients with DR compared to that of controls and diabetes patients without retinopathy [63]. In another study, Zhang and colleagues identified circ_0005015 as the most significantly upregulated circRNA in plasma, vitreous samples, and fibrovascular membranes of diabetic retinopathy patients [64].…”