Sarah I. Khaleel
Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, College of Medicine University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
Jaffar N. Alalsaidissa
Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, College of Medicine University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
ABSTRACT
Background: Polycythemia Vera (PV) and Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) are classical myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) characterized by somatic mutations in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), leading to abnormal proliferation of myeloid cell lineages. In addition to genetic mutations, dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs (20–30 nucleotides in length), has been implicated in disease pathogenesis. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the expression levels of miRNA-155-5p in patients with PV and ET compared to healthy controls and to investigate its correlation with common prognostic factors. Methods: A total of 52 patients were enrolled in the study, including 28 with PV and 24 with ET, along with 20 healthy individuals as controls. Plasma samples were extracted from peripheral blood, and miRNA-155-5p expression was analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results: miRNA-155-5p was significantly upregulated in both PV (p = 0.0001) and ET (p = 0.0001) patients compared to the control group. Among PV patients, those with a history of thrombosis exhibited significantly higher miRNA-155-5p levels than those in the ET group (p = 0.01). However, no significant correlations were found between miRNA-155-5p expression and age, sex, JAK2 mutation status, hemoglobin (Hb) levels, white blood cell (WBC) count, or platelet (PLT) count. Conclusion: The findings suggest that miRNA-155-5p dysregulation may play a role in the pathogenesis of PV and ET, particularly in patients with thrombotic complications. Further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying miRNA-155-5p involvement in MPNs and its potential as a biomarker for disease progression and prognosis.
Keywords: Myeloproliferative Disorder, Polycythemia Vera, Essential Thrombocythemia, MicroRNA.
