title: Disease specific signature of circulating miR-150-5p and miR-21-5p in myasthenia gravis patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Reliable biological markers for patients with the autoimmune neuromuscular disorder myasthenia gravis (MG) are lacking. We determined whether levels of the circulating immuno-microRNAs miR-150-5p and miR-21-5p were elevated in sera from clinically heterogeneous MG patients, with and without immunosuppression, as compared to healthy controls and patients with other autoimmune disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sera from 71 MG patients and 55 healthy controls (HC) were analyzed for the expression levels of miR-150-5p and miR-21-5p with qRT-PCR. Sera were also assayed from 23 patients with other autoimmune disorders (AID; psoriasis, Addison's and Crohn's diseases).
  
  
  RESULTS
  34 MG patients had no immunosuppressive drug treatment (MG-0) and 37 patients were under stable immunosuppressive drug treatment since ≥ 6 months (MG+IMM). Serum levels of miR-150-5p and miR-21-5p were higher in the MG-0 patients compared to HC (p<0.0001). Further, miR-150-5p levels were 41% lower and miR-21-5p levels were 25% lower in the MG+IMM compared to MG-0 (p=0.0051 and 0.0419). In the AID patients, mean miR-150-5p and miR-21-5p were comparable with healthy controls (p=0.66).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The immuno-microRNAs miR-150-5p and miR-21-5p show a disease specific signature, which suggests these microRNAs as possible biological autoimmune markers of MG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Clinical Neurophysiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: anna.rostedt.punga@neuro.uu.se.
authors.forename: Anna Rostedt
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Punga
authors.affiliation: Feldbergstrasse 67, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alimohammadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tanel
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Punga
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D035683:MicroRNAs; C533097:MIR150, human; C524940:MIRN21 microRNA, human
keywords: Autoimmune disorders; MG; MicroRNA; Myasthenia gravis; miR150-5p; miR21-5p