J Korean Med Sci.  2015 Aug;30(8):1183-1188. 10.3346/jkms.2015.30.8.1183.

Dicer Is Down-regulated and Correlated with Drosha in Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

• Kim S
• Lee JH
• Nam SI

• KMID: 2164515
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2015.30.8.1183

Abstract

Previously, we reported the expression levels of specific microRNA machinery components, DGCR8 and AGO2, and their clinical association in patients with idiopathic sudden hearing loss (SSNHL). In the present study, we investigated the other important components of microRNA machinery and their association with clinical parameters in SSNHL patients. Fifty-seven patients diagnosed with SSNHL and fifty healthy volunteers were included in this study. We evaluated mRNA expression levels of Dicer and Drosha in whole blood of patients with SSNHL and the control group, using RT & real-time PCR analysis. The Dicer mRNA expression level was down-regulated in patients with SSNHL. However, the Drosha mRNA expression level was not significantly altered in patients with SSNHL. Neither the Dicer nor Drosha mRNA expression level was not associated with any clinical parameters, including age, sex, duration of initial treatment from onset (days), initial Pure tone average, Siegel's criteria, WBC, and Erythrocyte sedimentation rate. However, mRNA expression levels of Dicer and Drosha were positively correlated to each other in patients with SSNHL. In this study, we demonstrated for the first time that the Dicer mRNA expression level was down-regulated in patients with SSNHL, suggesting its important role in pathobiology of SSNHL development.

Keyword

MicroRNA Biogenesis; Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss; Dicer; Drosha

MeSH Terms

Acute Disease
Adult
Biomarkers
DEAD-box RNA Helicases/*blood
Down-Regulation
Female
Gene Expression Regulation
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/*blood
Hearing Loss, Sudden/*blood
Humans
Male
MicroRNAs/*metabolism
Middle Aged
Ribonuclease III/*blood/*metabolism
Statistics as Topic
Biomarkers
DEAD-box RNA Helicases
MicroRNAs
Ribonuclease III

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Relative Dicer and Drosha mRNA expression in patients group with SSNHL and in the control group; *P < 0.001, †P = 0.788. All values are relative to β-actin gene expression (mean±SD from triplicate readings). These values are representative for two independent experiments with similar results.

• 

  Fig. 2 Correlation between mRNA expression levels of Dicer and Drosha. (A) Patients group with SSNHL. (B) Control group. ΔCT, specific target gene CT-β-actin CT.

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