Tag Archives: non-coding RNA
Non-coding RNA NEAT-1 and interleukin-6 as diagnostic indicators for vitiligo
Mai M. Sharabi1*, Amr A. Zahra1, Azza M. Elamir1,
Talal A. Abd El Raheem2, Nesreen M. Aboraia2
1Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
Faculty of Medicine, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt;
2Department of Dermatology, STDs Andrology, Faculty of Medicine,
Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt;
*e-mail: mmm29@fayoum.edu.eg
Received: 15 March 2024; Revised: 23 April 2024;
Accepted: 31 May 2024; Available on-line: 17 June 2024
Vitiligo belongs to chronic autoimmune diseases and results in a loss of functioning melanocytes and skin depigmentation. Nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT-1) is a long non-coding RNA that has a vital role in the diagnostics and treatment of certain autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. It is suggested that NEAT-1 can increase the pro-inflammatory cytokine level via regulatory network. The aim of the work was to measure the serum level of NEAT-1 and IL-6 in vitiligo patients compared with healthy controls and to estimate its relation to disease activity. In the study, 60 individuals were enrolled subdivided into 40 vitiligo patients and 20 healthy controls of similar age and gender. NEAT-1 expression was detected by Quantitative real-time PCR, and IL-6 level was measured by ELISA. To assess the severity of the disease Vitiligo area scoring index (VASI) was calculated. Results showed that there was a significant increase in both NEAT-1 and IL-6 levels in vitiligo patients compared with the control group. A positive correlation between NEAT-1 and IL-6 levels and a negative correlation between NEAT-1 level and VASI score was revealed. The elevated serum levels of NEAT-1 and IL-6 suggest that these circulating biomarkers have promise as diagnostic indicators for vitiligo and possible targets for therapeutic interventions.
Non-coding RNAs and epigenome: de novo DNA methylation, allelic exclusion and X-inactivation
V. A. Halytskiy, S. V. Komisarenko
Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
e-mail: volha@biochem.kiev.ua
Non-coding RNAs are widespread class of cell RNAs. They participate in many important processes in cells – signaling, posttranscriptional silencing, protein biosynthesis, splicing, maintenance of genome stability, telomere lengthening, X-inactivation. Nevertheless, activity of these RNAs is not restricted to posttranscriptional sphere, but cover also processes that change or maintain the epigenetic information.
Non-coding RNAs can directly bind to the DNA targets and cause their repression through recruitment of DNA methyltransferases as well as chromatin modifying enzymes. Such events constitute molecular mechanism of the RNA-dependent DNA methylation. It is possible, that the RNA-DNA interaction is universal mechanism triggering DNA methylation de novo.
Allelic exclusion can be also based on described mechanism. This phenomenon takes place, when non-coding RNA, which precursor is transcribed from one allele, triggers DNA methylation in all other alleles present in the cell. Note, that miRNA-mediated transcriptional silencing resembles allelic exclusion, because both miRNA gene and genes, which can be targeted by this miRNA, contain elements with the same sequences. It can be assumed that RNA-dependent DNA methylation and allelic exclusion originated with the purpose of counteracting the activity of mobile genetic elements.
Probably, thinning and deregulation of the cellular non-coding RNA pattern allows reactivation of silent mobile genetic elements resulting in genome instability that leads to ageing and carcinogenesis.
In the course of X-inactivation, DNA methylation and subsequent heterochromatinization of X chromosome can be triggered by direct hybridization of 5′-end of large non-coding RNA Xist with DNA targets in remote regions of the X chromosome.