Integrated bioinformatics analysis of the osteoarthritis‑associated microRNA expression signature.

Numerous studies have focused on osteoarthritis (OA) cartilage injuries, with observations of abnormalities in microRNA (miRNA) expression levels. The aim of the present study was to consolidate and assess the results of these studies to identify potential miRNA biomarkers of OA. A comprehensive meta-analysis of eight independent miRNA expression studies in OA was performed using the robust rank aggregation method (RRA), which contained a total of 82 OA and 39 normal cartilage samples. The targets of meta-signature miRNA were predicted using TargetScan v6.2, PicTar, miRDB, TarBase v7.0 and starBase databases. In addition, pathway enrichment analysis was performed to establish the biologically and functionally relevant genes involved in meta-signature miRNA regulation. Six dysregulated miRNAs were identified, including four up regulated (miR-23b-3p, miR-27b-3p, miR-211-5p and miR-16-5p) and two down regulated (miR-25-3p and miR-149-5p). The enrichment of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Panther signaling pathways were predominantly associated with cell signaling and cell regulation. In the present study, the meta-signature miRNA identified may be used to develop a series of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for OA specifically for use in a clinical setting.