Potential Diagnostic Value of Circulating miR-1183 and CHURC1 Biomarkers in Early-Onset Preeclampsia

Abstract BackgroundPreeclampsia (PE) is a multi-systemic disease of pregnancy and leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity worldwide. The differential expression of circulating microRNAs (miRs) were reported in maternal plasma of pregnant women and they could be stabilized in plasma. The aim of this study was to characterize the molecular mechanism of PE development through miR-1183.Methods and ResultsPlasma samples were obtained between 26 and 32 weeks of gestation from early-onset PE cases (n=31) and women with normotensive pregnancies (controls, n=22). The expressions of miR-1183 and Churchill containing domain 1 (CHURC1) were measured in maternal plasma. CHURC1 3’ untranslated region was determined as the target of miR-1183 using in silico analysis. miR-1183 and CHURC1 expression levels were assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). An inverse correlation was found between circulating miR-1183 and CHURC1 expression levels with, miR-1183 up-regulated (p=0.002) and CHURC1 down-regulated (p<0.001) in maternal plasma of preeclamptic women compared to controls. The accuracy of levels of miR-1183 and CHURC1 according to area under receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis were characteristic curve analysis: the area under the curve (AUC) were: 0.79; (CI: 0.62-0.91) and 0.96; (CI: 0.78-0.99), respectively.ConclusionThese findings not only characterize a new mechanism for the disease, but also provide potential therapeutic targets.