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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Parasite-Derived MicroRNAs in Host Serum As Novel Biomarkers of Helminth Infection
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Volume 8, No. 2, Article e2701, Year 2014
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Description
Background:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short non-coding RNA that play important roles in disease processes in animals and are present in a highly stable cell-free form in body fluids. Here, we examine the capacity of host and parasite miRNAs to serve as tissue or serum biomarkers of Schistosoma mansoni infection.Methods/Principal Findings:We used Exiqon miRNA microarrays to profile miRNA expression in the livers of mice infected with S. mansoni at 7 weeks post-infection. Thirty-three mouse miRNAs were differentially expressed in infected compared to naïve mice (>2 fold change, p<0.05) including miR-199a-3p, miR-199a-5p, miR-214 and miR-21, which have previously been associated with liver fibrosis in other settings. Five of the mouse miRNAs were also significantly elevated in serum by twelve weeks post-infection. Sequencing of small RNAs from serum confirmed the presence of these miRNAs and further revealed eleven parasite-derived miRNAs that were detectable by eight weeks post infection. Analysis of host and parasite miRNA abundance by qRT-PCR was extended to serum of patients from low and high infection sites in Zimbabwe and Uganda. The host-derived miRNAs failed to distinguish uninfected from infected individuals. However, analysis of three of the parasite-derived miRNAs (miR-277, miR-3479-3p and bantam) could detect infected individuals from low and high infection intensity sites with specificity/sensitivity values of 89%/80% and 80%/90%, respectively.Conclusions:This work identifies parasite-derived miRNAs as novel markers of S. mansoni infection in both mice and humans, with the potential to be used with existing techniques to improve S. mansoni diagnosis. In contrast, although host miRNAs are differentially expressed in the liver during infection their abundance levels in serum are variable in human patients and may be useful in cases of extreme pathology but likely hold limited value for detecting prevalence of infection. © 2014 Hoy et al.
Available Materials
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s001.eps
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s002.eps
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s003.eps
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s004.eps
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s005.eps
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s006.docx
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s007.docx
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s008.xlsx
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s009.txt
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s010.docx
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s011.xlsx
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s012.xlsx
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3930507/bin/pntd.0002701.s013.doc
Authors & Co-Authors
Hoy, Anna M.
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
Lundie, Rachel J.
Australia, Melbourne
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Ivens, Alasdair C.
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
Quintana, Juan F.
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
Nausch, Norman
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
Forster, Thorsten
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
Jones, Frances M.
United Kingdom, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Kabatereine, Narcis B.
Uganda, Kampala
Uganda Ministry of Health
Dunne, David William
United Kingdom, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Mutapi, Francisca
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
MacDonald, A. S.
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
United Kingdom, Manchester
The University of Manchester
Buck, Amy H.
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
Statistics
Citations: 142
Authors: 12
Affiliations: 5
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1371/journal.pntd.0002701
ISSN:
19352727
e-ISSN:
19352735
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Locations
Uganda
Zimbabwe