title: Three novel serum biomarkers, miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-206 for Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, and Becker muscular dystrophy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Muscular dystrophies are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of inherited myogenic disorders. In clinical tests for these diseases, creatine kinase (CK) is generally used as diagnostic blood-based biomarker. However, because CK levels can be altered by various other factors, such as vigorous exercise, etc., false positive is observed. Therefore, three microRNAs (miRNAs), miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-206, were previously reported as alternative biomarkers for duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). However, no alternative biomarkers have been established for the other muscular dystrophies.
  
  
  METHODS
  We, therefore, evaluated whether these miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-206 can be used as powerful biomarkers using the serum from muscular dystrophy patients including DMD, myotonic dystrophy 1 (DM1), limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD), facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), and distal myopathy with rimmed vacuoles (DMRV) by qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistical analysis indicated that all these miRNA levels in serum represented no significant differences between all muscle disorders examined in this study and controls by Bonferroni correction. However, some of these indicated significant differences without correction for testing multiple diseases (P < 0.05). The median values of miR-1 levels in the serum of patients with LGMD, FSHD, and BMD were approximately 5.5, 3.3 and 1.7 compared to that in controls, 0.68, respectively. Similarly, those of miR-133a and miR-206 levels in the serum of BMD patients were about 2.5 and 2.1 compared to those in controls, 1.03 and 1.32, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, our data demonstrate that levels of miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-206 in serum of BMD and miR-1 in sera of LGMD and FSHD patients showed no significant differences compared with those of controls by Bonferroni correction. However, the results might need increase in sample sizes to evaluate these three miRNAs as variable biomarkers.
authors.affiliation: Administrative Section of Radiation Protection, National Institute of Neuroscience, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasunari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuzaka
authors.forename: Soichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kishi
authors.forename: Yoshitsugu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Komaki
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oya
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hashido
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D051379:Mice; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood*; D049288:Muscular Dystrophies, Limb-Girdle / Q000097:blood*; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000097:blood*; D020391:Muscular Dystrophy, Facioscapulohumeral / Q000097:blood*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C544547:MIRN1 microRNA, human; C548234:MIRN133 microRNA, human; C546087:MIRN206 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs