Altered expression of circular RNAs in Moyamoya disease

• Published in: Journal of the neurological sciences Vol. 381; pp. 25 - 31
• Main Authors: Zhao, Meng, Gao, Faliang, Zhang, Dong, Wang, Shuo, Zhang, Yan, Wang, Rong, Zhao, Jizong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.10.2017
• Subjects: Adult; Case-Control Studies; Circular RNA (circRNA); Computational Biology; Female; Gene Ontology; Humans; Male; Microarray; Microarray Analysis; Moyamoya disease; Moyamoya Disease - genetics; Moyamoya Disease - metabolism; Pathogenesis; Prospective Studies; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA - metabolism; Moyamoya disease; Microarray; Pathogenesis; Circular RNA (circRNA)
• ISSN: 0022-510X; 1878-5883; 1878-5883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2017.08.011

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is the most common pediatric cerebrovascular disease in Eastern Asian countries but the etiology is not well understood. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in various biological processes, but their role in the development of MMD remains unclear. To address this issue, we carried out a comparative circRNA microarray analysis of blood samples obtained from patients with MMD and healthy subjects and identified 146 circRNAs that were differentially expressed between the two groups. Of these, 29 were upregulated and 117 were downregulated in patients as compared to controls (fold change ≥2.0 and P<0.05). The microarray results were validated by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses revealed that the differentially expressed circRNAs were primarily involved in angiogenesis, metabolism, and immune responses in MMD. In addition, the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway was found to be the core regulatory pathway associated with disease pathogenesis. These results indicate that specific circRNAs are aberrantly expressed in MMD and are potential therapeutic targets for its treatment. •Circular RNA (circRNA) profiles in Moyamoya disease (MMD) patients were analyzed.•A microarray detected 146 circRNAs differentially expressed in MMD vs. controls.•Identified circRNAs were involved in angiogenesis, metabolism, and immune responses.•MAPK signaling was the major pathway associated with MMD pathogenesis.•MMD-specific circRNAs are potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.