Maternal Plasma miRNAs as Early Biomarkers of Moderate-to-Late-Preterm Birth

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dc.contributor.authorRamzan, F.
dc.contributor.authorRong, J.
dc.contributor.authorRoberts, C.T.
dc.contributor.authorO’Sullivan, J.M.
dc.contributor.authorPerry, J.K.
dc.contributor.authorTaylor, R.
dc.contributor.authorMcCowan, L.
dc.contributor.authorVickers, M.H.
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractGlobally, preterm birth (PTB) is a primary cause of mortality and morbidity in infants, with PTB rates increasing worldwide over the last two decades. Biomarkers for accurate early prediction of PTB before the clinical event do not currently exist. Given their roles in the development and progression of many disease states, there has been increasing interest in the utility of microRNAs (miRNAs) as early biomarkers for pregnancy-related disorders, including PTB. The present study was designed to examine potential differences in miRNA abundances in maternal plasma from mothers with infants born following a moderate to late (28–36 weeks’ gestation, n = 54) spontaneous PTB (SPTB) compared to mothers with matched term infants (n = 54). Maternal plasma collected at 15 weeks’ gestation were utilised from the Auckland and Adelaide cohorts from the Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) study. miRNAs in plasma were quantified using the NanoString nCounter expression panel (800 miRNAs). The top four most abundant miRNAs were significantly decreased in the plasma of mothers in the SPTB group with results consistent across both cohorts and pathway analysis was undertaken to examine the biological processes linked to the dysregulated miRNAs. The top candidate miRNAs (miRs-451a, −223-3p, let-7a-5p, and -126-3p) were linked to gene pathways associated with inflammation, apoptosis, and mitochondrial biogenesis. Moreover, miRNAs were consistently less abundant in the plasma of mothers of preterm infants across both sites, suggesting potential global dysregulation in miRNA biogenesis. This was supported by a significant downregulation in expression of key genes that are involved in miRNA biogenesis (DROSHA, DICER, and AGO2) across both sites in the SPTB group. In summary, the present study has identified miRNAs in maternal plasma that may provide predictive utility as early biomarkers for the risk of later SPTB. Importantly, these observations were conserved across two independent cohorts. Further, our data provide evidence for a persistent decrease in miRNA abundance in mothers who later experienced an SPTB, which is likely to have widespread consequences for gene regulation and epigenetic processes.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityFarha Ramzan, Jing Rong, Claire T. Roberts, Justin M. O, Sullivan, Jo K. Perry, Rennae Taylor, Lesley McCowan, and Mark H. Vickers
dc.identifier.citationInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2024; 25(17):9536-1-9536-16
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/ijms25179536
dc.identifier.issn1661-6596
dc.identifier.issn1422-0067
dc.identifier.orcidRoberts, C.T. [0000-0002-9250-2192]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/143645
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMDPI AG
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/GNT1174971
dc.rights© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).
dc.source.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms25179536
dc.subjectpreterm birth; miRNA; biomarker; pregnancy; epigenetics
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshPremature Birth
dc.subject.meshMicroRNAs
dc.subject.meshGestational Age
dc.subject.meshPregnancy
dc.subject.meshAdult
dc.subject.meshInfant, Newborn
dc.subject.meshFemale
dc.subject.meshBiomarkers
dc.titleMaternal Plasma miRNAs as Early Biomarkers of Moderate-to-Late-Preterm Birth
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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