Elevated levels of miR-181c and miR-633 in the CSF of patients with MS

Abstract

<h3>Objective</h3> To validate a previously discovered microRNA (miRNA) panel in the CSF of patients with MS, we now tested the diagnostic value of CSF-derived candidate miRNAs in a case-control study in a larger MS cohort. <h3>Methods</h3> The levels of miR-181c, miR-633, and miR-922 were analyzed in the CSF of 218 patients with MS and 211 patients with other neurologic diseases (OND) by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. <h3>Results</h3> CSF levels of both miR-181c (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001 and miR-633 <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) were higher in patients with MS patients compared with patients with OND. Both miR-181c (area under the curve [AUC] 0.75, 95% CI 0.70–0.80, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) and miR-633 (AUC 0.75, 95% CI 0.68–0.83, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) differentiated MS from OND. Combining both miRNAs yielded a sensitivity of 62% and specificity of 89% to differentiate MS from OND. miR-922 was not confirmed to be differentially expressed in this validation cohort. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The results of this so far largest study on CSF-based miRNAs confirm the diagnostic value of miR-181c and miR-633 for MS. The present study may help to extend the diagnostic tools for patients with suspected MS and may add further knowledge to the pathology of the disease. <h3>Classification of Evidence</h3> This study provides Class III evidence that CSF-derived miR-181c and miR-633 distinguish patients with MS from patients with OND.