title: Plasma miRNA as biomarkers for assessment of total-body radiation exposure dosimetry.
abstract: The risk of radiation exposure, due to accidental or malicious release of ionizing radiation, is a major public health concern. Biomarkers that can rapidly identify severely-irradiated individuals requiring prompt medical treatment in mass-casualty incidents are urgently needed. Stable blood or plasma-based biomarkers are attractive because of the ease for sample collection. We tested the hypothesis that plasma miRNA expression profiles can accurately reflect prior radiation exposure. We demonstrated using a murine model that plasma miRNA expression signatures could distinguish mice that received total body irradiation doses of 0.5 Gy, 2 Gy, and 10 Gy (at 6 h or 24 h post radiation) with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of above 90%. Taken together, these data demonstrate that plasma miRNA profiles can be highly predictive of different levels of radiation exposure. Thus, plasma-based biomarkers can be used to assess radiation exposure after mass-casualty incidents, and it may provide a valuable tool in developing and implementing effective countermeasures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Wanchang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Jinfang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Yulei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shyam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Biswal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005720:Gamma Rays; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D035683:MicroRNAs; C529101:Mirn150 microRNA, mouse; C550758:Mirn451 microRNA, mouse; C541873:Mirn92 microRNA, mouse