Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the +869 T > C (rs1800470) and −509 C > T (rs1800469) TGFB1 variants, individually or in haplotypes structure, with susceptibility, autoantibodies, disease activity, and TGF-β1 plasma levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study included 203 patients with SLE and 165 healthy controls. TGFB1 variants were determined

Abstract Odd-skipped related transcription factor 1 (OSR1) is implicated in various pathophysiologic processes, such as embryonic heart and urogenital formation, and functions as a tumour suppressor in diverse tumours. Regardless, the regulatory role and mechanism of OSR1 in acute myeloid leukaemia are scarce. Firstly, the CD34-positive blasts or the normal blasts were isolated from the plasma samples

Abstract Infantile pneumonia is a common inflammatory disease with the infections of various pathogens in lower respiratory tracts. Here, the role and working mechanism of circular RNA (circRNA) ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase core protein 2 (circ-UQCRC2; hsa_circ_0038467) in infantile pneumonia were investigated. Cell viability, apoptosis, and inflammatory response were assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2

Abstract Background Recent studies have provided strong evidence that lncRNAs play a functional regulatory role in diabetic retinopathy (DR). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) in DR. Methods A DR mouse model was established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ), and then the mouse retinal Müller

Abstract The programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/PD ligand pathway plays a key role in the maintenance of peripheral tolerance by enhancing the suppressive activity of regulatory T (Treg) cells. The promoter activity of the A allele of PD1 rs36084323 G/A polymorphism is lower than that of the G allele. We examined the association of PD1 gene polymorphisms, PD-1 expression on Treg cells, and thyroid PD-1/PD-1

Abstract Background and Objective Membranous nephropathy (MN) is an autoimmune disease. The up-regulation of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (Neat1) has been found in MN but the mechanism is still unclear. Here, we explored the effect and the underlying mechanism of lncRNA Neat1 on the apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells in MN. Methods Albumin-stimulated

Abstract Although long non-coding RNA LINC00963 has been reported to play a crucial regulatory role in osteoporosis (OP), its specific mechanism has not been well studied. Cell viability of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) transfected with short hairpin RNA targeting LINC00963 (sh-LINC00963) and negative control (sh-NC) was analysed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Alkaline phosphatase

Abstract The role and mechanism of lncRNA XIST (XIST) in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was explored in this study. RT-qPCRs were performed to detect the expression of XIST and miR-126-3p in synovial tissues and cells. Target gene prediction and luciferase gene reporter assay were used to validate downstream target genes of XIST. MTT assay, EdU staining and Annexin V/PI staining were

Abstract Chondrocyte apoptosis contributes to osteoarthritis, while miR-146a is a critical player in chondrocyte apoptosis. Our bioinformatics analysis showed that miR-146a may bind with long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) CALML3 antisense RNA 1 (CALML3-AS1). Our study was therefore carried out to investigate the interactions between lncRNA CALML3-AS1 and miR-146a in osteoarthritis. This study included 66

Abstract Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a common inflammation-related intestinal disease. Studies have shown that excessive pyroptosis of intestinal cells is involved in the development of IBD. However, the regulatory mechanism of pyroptosis in IBD remains unclear. Here, our study purposed to clarify the underlying regulatory mechanism of miR-223 to promote pyroptosis in IBD. MiR-223 and Smad

Abstract Background Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a malignant tumour of the digestive system that is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. With the increased use of immunotherapy in cancer treatment, there is an urgent need to elucidate the immune-related mechanisms in ESCC and other digestive system carcinomas. Methods In our study, single-sample gene set enrichment

Abstract Asthma is a common respiratory disease which is characterized by persistent airway inflammation. Abnormal expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is observed in asthma. However, whether lncRNA nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) regulates asthmatic inflammation and its mechanism still needs to be further investigated. The expression levels of inflammatory factors (tumour necrosis

Abstract Background microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and can control gene expression via directly targeting or regulating DNA methylation. This research aims to analyse the mechanism of miR-93-5p on HCC progression. Methods miR-93-5p, Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 4 (ERBB4) and ten-eleven translocation methyl-cytosine dioxygenases (TET1, TET2 and TET3)

Abstract The dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) are implicated in the malignancy of lupus nephritis (LN). This work aims to analyse the effect and mechanism of miR-146b-5p in lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced model of LN in vitro. The serum samples of LN patients and normal volunteers were collected. HK-2 cells were challenged via LPS. miR-146b-5p and interferon-induced protein 35 (IFI35) abundances were

Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease related to abnormal activation of fibroblast-like synovium cells (FLS) with apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative damage. Circular RNA Sirt1 (circ-Sirt1) is an abundant circRNA, exerts the function in inhibiting inflammation. However, little is known about the roles of circ-Sirt1, if any, in RA. The present study aimed to investigate

Abstract Background Osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) is essential for bone formation, and its dysfunction is reported to be associated with osteoporosis (OP). Recent researches have determined that lncRNA PART1 participates in the pathogenesis of multiple diseases. However, its role in modulating osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs is unclear

Abstract Considered as an autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an chronic inflammatory disorder that causes inflammation of the joints. This study is performed with the aim to clarify the expression of phospholipase D1 (PLD1) in RA and its specific regulation role of RA as well as the underlying mechanisms. In this study, synovial tissue samples were collected from RA patients, and RA-fibroblast-like

Abstract Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, which compromises the synovial membrane resulting in chronic inflammation. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are implicated in the pathogenesis of RA. This study investigated the role of lncRNA ZNF667-AS1 in RA progression. Methods Synovial tissues and fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) were

Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most prevalent, chronic, inflammatory disorders involving multiple articular and extra-articular complications. Immune deregulation owing to a combinatorial network of cells, inflammatory components, degrading enzymes, angiogenetic factors, exhibiting pleiotropy, synergy, or redundancy, is a critical hallmark for synovial inflammatory milieu reasoning clinical

Abstract Background Pancreatic cancer is a lethal malignancy in both sexes throughout the world. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in the development of pancreatic cancer by operating as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). Here, we explored circ_0099999-mediated ceRNA activity in regulating pancreatic tumorigenesis. Methods Ribonuclease R (RNase R) and subcellular localization assays were

Abstract Background Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a common acute abdominal disease with high morbidity and mortality. However, the mechanism underlying SAP is still unclear. Methods Cerulean and LPS (Cer-LPS) was used to establish a rat model and an in vitro model of SAP. qRT-PCR, western blot and IHC were determined to analyse the expression of mRNA and proteins. IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 levels

Abstract MiR-429 was reported to be downregulated in contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). However, whether miR-429 is functionally relevant with CI-AKI needs further investigation. Human renal tubular epithelial cell (HK-2) cells were stimulated with contrast media iodixanol to establish in vitro CI-AKI model. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was applied to access cell viability. Flow cytometry

Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that leads to systemic inflammation of diarthrodial joint, synovial hyperplasia, cartilage damage, and ultimately joint destruction and deformity. As the dominant non-immune cells in the synovium, fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) significantly contribute to the deterioration of RA. Our study aimed to explore the regulatory role

Abstract Objective To screen and analyze the micro-Ribonucleic Acid (miRNA) expression profile in B lymphocytes from patients with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) using high-throughput sequencing. Methods Twelve patients with warm autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (wAIHA) and twelve healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. CD19+ B lymphocytes were isolated and purified using magnetic activated cell sorting

Abstract Uveitis is a disease resulting in the inflammation of uveal tracts, but the factors resulting in uveitis is still obscure. Previous studies have shown that miR-379-5p was involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases, however, the role and regulatory mechanism of miR-379-5p in uveitis were unclear. In our study, we established experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) mouse models to explore

Abstract Tumour microenvironment (TME) is frequently remodelled and deregulated in cancer development and progression. The underlying mechanisms are complex, multifactorial and largely unknown. Circular RNA (circRNA) is an endogenous RNA with a covalently closed loop that plays critical roles in the pathological and physiological processes of the organism. Here, we identified a TME-associated circRNA

Abstract Introduction Psoriasis is an immune-related chronic skin disease, and interleukin-22 (IL-22) is involved in psoriasis pathogenesis through promoting proliferation and migration abilities of keratinocytes. Here, we analysed the role of circular RNA (circRNA) RAB3B, member RAS oncogene family (circRAB3B) in regulating the phenotypes of IL-22-induced HaCaT cells. Methods RT-qPCR was implemented

Abstract Circular RNA circZNF652 promotes LPS-induced inflammation, contributing to the development of osteoarthritis (OA), indicating the potential involvement of circZNF652 in OA. This study was carried to explore the involvement of circZNF652 in OA. RT-qPCR was performed to analyse the expression of circZNF652 and PTEN mRNA in synovial fluid samples from 60 OA patients and 60 healthy controls. Correlations

Abstract Background Macrophage migration and infiltration contribute to the pathogenesis of polymyositis (PM). This study aims to investigate the effect and underlying mechanism of miR-409-3p on macrophage migration in PM. Methods The GSE143845 database was used to predict the altered expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in PM. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), western blot and Transwell assay

Abstract Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, a class of systemic autoimmune diseases, results in damage of various critical organs including kidneys, lungs, eyes, and nervous system. MicroRNA-340-5p was confirmed to be downregulated in autoimmune pathogenesis. However, the role of miR-340-5p remains unknown in ANCA-induced glomerulonephritis (GN). The current study aimed

Abstract Introduction Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease caused by the imbalance between the activity of angiotensin II and angiotensin-(1–7). Their balance should be controlled by angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which degrades angiotensin II into angiotensin-(1–7). Previously, autoantibodies to ACE2 (anti-ACE2) were identified in patients with vasculopathy due to different connective

Abstract Introduction Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare complex disease characterized by vascular damage, autoimmunity, and extensive skin and internal organs fibrosis. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is encoded by gene LGALS3 (Lectin, Galactoside-Binding, Soluble, 3; 14q22.3) and it has been reported to play a central role in self-tolerance, inflammation, and fibrosis. Objective To investigate associations among

Abstract Background Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a severe cardiovascular condition. Blocking the apoptosis of myocardial cells may mitigate AMI. Excessive expression of Stanniocalcin-1 (STC1) plays a protective role in the heart by inhibiting myocardial cell apoptosis. Here, we looked at the mechanism by which miR-382-5p regulates STC1 and affects myocardial cell apoptosis after AMI. Methods

Abstract Background Cardiomyocytes apoptosis is the basic pathological process of myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury, so inhibiting apoptosis of cardiomyocytes can effectively improve MI/R injury. Long non-coding RNA colorectal neoplasia differentially expressed (lncRNA CRNDE) can inhibit cell apoptosis, but its specific role in MI/R injury has not been studied. The aim of this study is

Abstract Currently, the novel coronavirus pneumonia has been widespread globally, and there is no specific medicine. In response to the emergency, we employed bioinformatics methods to investigate the virus's pathogenic mechanism, finding possible control methods. We speculated in previous studies that E protein was associated with viral infectivity. The present study adopted the domain search techniques

Abstract SChLAP1 is recently reported as a key oncogenic long non-coding RNA in human cancer. However, whether SChLAP1 functions in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its specific potential regulatory mechanism remain unexplored. In this study, we found that depletion of SChLAP1 significantly inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, and retarded tumour growth and lung

Abstract Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that could serve as potential molecular markers for disease diagnosis. However, the role of circRNAs in plasma from new-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has not been extensively investigated. In this study, the expression of hsa-circ0000175 and hsa-circ0044235 in plasma from RA patients, healthy controls (HCs), systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract Sema4D, a member of the immune semaphorin family, plays crucial roles in the immune regulation, bone resorption and nervous system. It is also involved in angiogenesis and tumour progression. However, systemic studies on the correlation between Sema4D expression and the immune infiltration or clinical outcomes in tumours are still limited. Here, we analysed the landscape of Sema4D expression

Abstract Background Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease. It was reported that lncRNA Non-coding RNA-activated by DNA damage (NORAD) has potential regulatory effects on skin diseases. Our previous studies found that lncRNA NORAD was highly expressed and its potential target miR-26a was down-regulated in psoriasis model mice. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of NORAD in the development

Abstract Objective Asthma is a prevalent chronic inflammatory airway disease that is characterised by airway remodelling and airway hyperresponsiveness. Abnormal proliferation and migration of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) contribute to airway remodelling in asthma. However, the molecular mechanism underlying an increased ASMC mass in asthma remains elusive. Herein, we aimed at investigating the

Abstract Objectives Autoimmune antibody profiling plays a prominent role in both classification and prognosis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). In the last years novel autoantibodies have been discovered and have become available in diagnostic assays. However, standardization in autoimmune serology is lacking, which may have a negative impact on the added value of autoantibodies in diagnosis and prognosis

Abstract Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase1(IDO1) is one of the most important proteins in protect the embryos from the mother's immune system during pregnancy. However, the regulation of the protein expression at the maternal–foetal interface is not fully known. We aimed to study the regulation of IDO1 expression by progesterone in villi and decidua of in early pregnancy. Fifty cases of early pregnancy

Abstract The importance of altered glycosphingolipid (GSL) metabolism is increasingly gaining attention as a characteristic of multiple chronic kidney diseases. Previously, we reported elevated levels of GSLs and neuraminidase (NEU) enzyme activity/expression in the urine or kidney of lupus patients and lupus-prone mice, and demonstrated NEU activity mediates the production of cytokines by lupus-prone

Abstract Objective Pathogenesis of Behçet disease (BD) has not yet been clearly revealed and there is no ideal test for the estimation of disease activation at present. This study aimed to assess the efficiencies of IgG/IgM and IgA/C3 ratios in determining activation of BD. Method This retrospective cohort study consisted of 140 patients with BD. Patients were divided into two groups: (1) active BD

Abstract The diversity of the immune repertoire (IR) enables the human immune system to distinguish multifarious antigens (Ags) that humans may encounter throughout life. At the same time, bias or abnormalities in the IR also pay a contribution to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Rapid advancements in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technology have ushered in a new era of immune studies, revealing

Abstract Background ANXA1 is a calcium-dependent phospholipid-binding protein and is frequently associated with inflammation, cell proliferation and apoptosis. However, the relationship between ANXA1 and the prognosis of multiple tumours and tumour infiltrating immune cells remains unclear. Methods Multivariate Cox proportional regression analysis was used for signature genes exploration in the basic

Abstract Background The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 5 (SNHG5) has been verified as a crucial regulator in many types of tumours but not clear in cervical cancer (CC). This study aims to investigate the effect and further mechanisms of lncRNA SNHG5 in CC. Methods The expression of SNHG5 and miR-132, as well as SOX4 (sex-determining region Y-box 4) mRNA expression were

Abstract T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing molecule-3(Tim-3) has been found to play important roles in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but whether sTim-3 is involved in the development of SLE remains unknown. In this study, we firstly observed an increased expression of plasma sTim-3 in SLE patients, especially active SLE patients. The plasma sTim-3 levels were positively correlated

Abstract Background Bronchopneumonia is a disease of the respiratory tract. It leads to other complications and endangers life and health. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) participates in the occurrence and development of bronchopneumonia. Nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) plays a key role in inflammatory diseases, but the function of NEAT1 in bronchopneumonia remains unclear. Methods RT-qPCR

Abstract The aims of this study was to investigate the influences of hsa_circ_0056558/miR-1290/CDK6 axis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The differentially expressed has_circ_0056558 and miR-1290 in AS tissue were analysed based on RNA-seq data and microarray data, respectively. qRT-PCR was performed for detection of relative expression levels of hsa_circ_0056558, miR-1290, CDK6, osteogenic differentiation

Abstract Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that affects millions of people. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) located in rheumatoid panni play a pivotal role in the formation of RA. The long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) GAS5 is reportedly downregulated in rheumatoid arthritis. However, its detailed mechanism in RA remains to be explored. This study investigated the roles and

Abstract Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are known to have an important role in triggering the innate immune response and in priming antigen-specific adaptive immunity and inflammation. The differences in synovial tissue expression of the TLRs between seronegative and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were examined from 9 seropositive RA, 5 seronegative RA and 4 osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Synovitis

Abstract The use of high-quality antigen-specific immunoassays for detecting anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) and anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) autoantibodies is recommended in patients with suspected ANCA vasculitis and/or anti-GBM disease. We analysed the diagnostic performance of a semi-quantitative and rapid immunoblot (EUROIMMUN AG, Lübeck, Germany) in two settings. Patient

Abstract Dioscin has been used as a treatment for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) in China. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the modes of action of dioscin have not been elucidated. In this study, flow cytometry and Western blotting were used to identify the proportions of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells and the expression of forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) and SUMO-specific protease 1 (SENP1)

Abstract Background The GTP exchange factors on ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) mediate the GDP/GTP exchange on ARF, serve as regulators in protein trafficking and membrane dynamics, and play critical roles in various cell processes. However, the relationship between the expression of ARF-GEF family genes and clinical implications in ovarian cancer remains unclear. Methods We performed a systematic investigation

Abstract Osteoclast differentiation-mediates bone resorption is the key biological basis of orthodontic treatment while the specific mechanism of osteoclastogenesis remains unclear. This study aims to explore the underlying mechanism of the osteoclast differentiation from the perspective of long non-coding RNA (LncRNA). In the present study, the osteoclast differentiation of CD14+ peripheral blood

Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered to be a chronic autoimmune disease, pathogenesis of RA is complex and effective treatments for RA is still lacking. Previous studies found that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in the pathogenesis of RA, and miR-223-3p is considered to be one of the possible biomarkers of RA. Recent studies have revealed that icariin alleviates RA in murine models

Abstract Regulation of melanogenesis by tyrosinase has now become an attractive approach for treatment of vitiligo but still the role of tyrosinase in the induction of depigmentation remains largely unexplored. This study was explored the role of tyrosinase in the induction of autoimmune depigmentation in C57BL/6 mice. Depigmentation was induced in C57BL/6 mice by tyrosinase immunization. Induced depigmentation

Abstract Background Cows’ milk allergy (CMA) is a hypersensitivity immune reaction brought on by specific immunologic mechanisms to cow’s milk proteins. As one of the most common food allergies in infants, the incidence of CMA during the first year of life is estimated to be nearly 7.5%. Due to the limitation in the knowledge of the pathological mechanism underlying CMA, however, the clinical interventions

Abstract Although extracellular host DNA (ecDNA) levels in CF airways were linked to airflow obstruction and recombinant DNAse therapy is beneficial for CF patients, it remains incompletely understood whether ecDNA also leads to an autoimmune response. Here we hypothesized that chronic presence of DNA in CF airways triggers the production of autoantibodies targeting host human DNA. We measured the