title: Plasma microRNA-186 and proteinuria in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are stable in circulation, and their unique expression profiles can serve as fingerprints for various diseases. This study explored whether plasma miRNAs could be used as biomarkers to evaluate disease activity in patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective and prospective cohorts.
  
  
  METHODS
  78 patients with FSGS with nephrotic proteinuria (protein excretion > 3.5g/24 h), 35 patients with FSGS in complete remission, 63 patients with membranous nephropathy, 59 patients with diabetic nephropathy, and 69 apparently healthy controls were recruited. Plasma samples from 51 other patients with FSGS with nephrotic proteinuria were collected prospectively before and after steroid treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma miRNA concentration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Complete remission (protein excretion < 0.4g/24 h), or no response (sustained protein excretion > 3.5g/24 h after 8 weeks of steroid treatment).
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis of plasma miRNAs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increases in miR-125b, miR-186, and miR-193a-3p levels were identified in a pooled plasma sample of 9 patients with FSGS compared with that of 9 healthy controls and were confirmed with individual samples from patients with FSGS (n=32) and healthy controls (n=30). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of miR-125b, miR-186, miR-193a-3p, and the 3 miRNAs in combination were 0.882, 0.789, 0.910, and 0.963, respectively. miR-125b and miR-186 concentrations were significantly lower in patients with FSGS in complete remission (n=35) than those with nephrotic proteinuria (n=37). In a prospective study, miR-125b and miR-186 levels declined markedly in patients with FSGS with complete remission (n=29), but not those with no response (n=22), after steroid treatment. Plasma miR-125b and miR-186 levels were not elevated in patients with membranous nephropathy (n=63) and diabetic nephropathy (n=59) regardless of degree of proteinuria. Last, plasma miR-186, but not miR-125b, level was correlated with degree of proteinuria in patients with FSGS (151 samples).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Relatively small cohort size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma miR-186 may be a biomarker for FSGS with nephrotic proteinuria.
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Diseases, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Changming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Diseases, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Wanfen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Diseases, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Hui-Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Diseases, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Chunbei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Diseases, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Junnan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Diseases, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China. Electronic address: shaolinshi1001@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Shaolin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Diseases, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China. Electronic address: liuzhihong@nju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhi-Hong
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005923:Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C533096:MIRN186 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: Plasma miR-186; biomarkers; circulating miRNAs; expression profile; focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS); kidney disease; microRNA (miRNA); nephrotic syndrome; noncoding RNA; proteinuria; remission