SLC35E3 identified as a target of novel-m1061-5p via microRNA profiling of patients with cardiovascular disease

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are considered to be potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of various cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). To understand the underlying mechanism of miRNAs and target genes associated with CVD, deep sequencing of blood samples from three patients with CVD and three controls was performed using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 system. The results of the present study revealed that 65 abnormal hsa-miRNAs targeted 2,784 putative genes in patients with CVD; 59 upregulated miRNAs targeted 2,401 genes and six downregulated miRNAs targeted 383 genes. In addition, a total of 49 Gene Ontology (GO) biological processes and were enriched, and the target genes of downregulated miRNAs were enriched in 12 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Most of these pathways are responsible for lipid and glycan metabolism. In particular, three downregulated miRNAs, hsa-miR-1268b, hsa-miR-1273d, hsa-miR-3187-5p, were involved in a-linolenic acid metabolism. The target genes of upregulated miRNAs were enriched in 15 KEGG pathways, mainly in the ‘neurodegenerative diseases and cancers’ class. In the present study five novel upregulated miRNAs, including m0499-5p, m0970-5p, m1042-5p, m1061-5p and m1953-5p, and a downregulated miRNA, novel-m1627-5p, were identified in patients with CVD. Novel-m1627-5p was demonstrated to target 146 human genes. Additionally, Novel-m1061-5p targeted four genes, including fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase domain containing 2A, potassium voltage-gated channel, Shaw-related subfamily, member 4, coiled-coil domain containing 85C and solute carrier family 35 member E3 (SLC35E3). The GO term, ‘carbohydrate derivative transport involving in biological process’, was associated with SLC35E3. Novel-m1061-5p in patients with CVD may repress the expression levels of SLC35E3, a member of the nucleoside sugar transporter subfamily E, which is known to cause defective glycol-conjugation in the Golgi complex and/or the endoplasmic reticulum. Further investigation is required to understand the underlying mechanisms of the novel miRNAs. Novel-m1061-5p may serve as a marker for prognosis or a potential target for the treatment of CVD.