miR-16-5p, miR-21-5p, and miR-155-5p in circulating vesicles as psoriasis biomarkers

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder marked by fast skin cell growth, leading to thick, red, scaly patches. MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNA molecules that play a crucial role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. This study investigates miR-16-5p, miR-21-5p, and miR-155-5p expression in psoriasis EVs and assesses their biomarker potential, exploring associated target genes and pathways via bioinformatics. A cross-sectional and case-control study included 40 psoriasis patients, with blood samples collected in EDTA tubes. RNA from extracellular vesicles was isolated using Qiagen kits, and miRNAs were quantified via RT-qPCR. Bioinformatic analysis predicted target genes using databases like miRDB and TargetScan. Gene expression data from GEO was processed, and differentially expressed genes were identified. This study assessed miR-16-5p, miR-21-5p, and miR-155-5p expression in psoriasis patients' circulating vesicles versus controls, finding significantly lower levels in patients. ROC analysis confirmed their diagnostic potential. A positive correlation of miR-16-5p with the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) suggests severity marker potential. Bioinformatics identified 378 common dysregulated genes, revealing key pathways and gene interactions in psoriasis. A heat map confirmed miRNA-mediated gene suppression in the disease. This study identifies miR-16-5p, miR-21-5p, and miR-155-5p as potential psoriasis biomarkers, in addition to finding significant gene interactions and pathways involved in psoriasis pathophysiology.

Keywords: Bioinformatics; Biomarkers; Extracellular vesicles; MicroRNAs; Microarrays; PASI; Psoriasis; Psoriasis area severity index.

Fig. 1

microRNA expression, discriminative value and correlation analysis (a–c) Lower expression levels of miR-16-5p, miR-21-5p, and miR-155-5p in the psoriasis group compared to controls. (d) Area under the curve ROC analysis to test the discriminative value of studied miRNAs. (e–f) Positive correlation of miR-16-5p and ratio miR-16-5p/miR21 with Psoriasis Area Severity Index PASI.

Fig. 2

Bioinformatic analysis. Integrated analysis of psoriasis-associated mechanisms (a) Venn diagram depicting common dysregulated genes identified through bioinformatic analysis. (b) Enrichment analysis results highlighting key pathways implicated in psoriasis pathogenesis. Biological processes involved in the development of psoriasis (c) miRNAs-genes interaction network illustrating regulatory relationships between miRNAs (miR-16-5p, miR-21-5p, miR-155-5p) and dysregulated genes. Down-regulated genes are shown in red, up-regulated genes in green, and miRNAs in blue. Arrows show selected genes involved in the development of psoriasis. (d) Heatmap visualizing the expression levels of identified target genes across psoriasis patients (INJ) and healthy controls (NO), showcasing patterns of miRNA-mediated gene suppression.