Minerva Pediatrica 2019 Dec 11

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4946.19.05420-3

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Mir-155 expression is downregulated in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients with Epstein-Barr virus infection

Valentina DAPRÀ, Ilaria GALLIANO, Marco RASSU, Cristina CALVI, Paola MONTANARI, Massimiliano BERGALLO ✉

Department of Public Health and Pediatric Sciences, University of Turin, Medical School, Turin, Italy

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short length double strand genome-encoded RNAs that are produced to repress post- transcriptionally the expression of cellular mRNAs. 2578 unique mature miRNAs are currently annotated in the human genome and participate in the regulation of multiple events, such as cellular proliferation or apoptosis. The over-expression of miR-155 of cellular origin might play a key role in the life cycle of EBV.
OBJECTIVES: In this study 24 paediatric patients undergoing HSCT seropositive and seronegative to EBV were enrolled. Thirty-one peripheral blood samples were collected from these patients. The mir-155 expression profile has been evaluated by a stem-loop Real Time PCR in all these conditions.
STUDY DESIGNS: Of 24 patients, 4 were seronegative to EBV and EBV negative to PCR (Group I), 10 were seropositive to EBV and EBV negative to PCR (Group II) and 10 were seropositive to EBV and EBV positive to PCR (Group III).
RESULTS: Based on relative quantification, the mir-155 expression was compared among the groups. The comparison between HSCT patients without EBV infection seronegative to EBV (Group I) showed higher levels of mir-155 expression than patients seropositive to EBV (p=0.1419). The mir-155 expression levels in seronegative to EBV were not significantly different compared with the patients seropositive to EBV ( p=0.6504). The mir-155 expression levels in seropositive to EBV without and with EBV infection (positive viral load), were not significantly (p=0.7667). Also when we evaluated the mir-155 expression levels comparing all EBV negative patients with an active EBV infection, we did not observe a statistical significant difference ( p=0.9782).
CONCLUSIONS: Our result is controversial as the results obtained by Gao et al. showed a higher production of mir-155 levels during EBV infection.

KEY WORDS: MicroRNA; Stem loop real time PCR; mir-155; Epstein-Barr virus