Investigation of Expression Levels of REST-Interactive miRNAs and Genes in Alzheimer's Patients

ABSTRACT Title: Investigation of Expression Levels of REST-Interactive miRNAs and Genes in Alzheimer's Patients Objective: A study was planned to examine the expression patterns of a gene network and target miRNAs that could mediate the pathology of the REST gene, a significant transcription factor, in Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD). By examining the expression of REST, SYT2, SYT7, ARC, APBA2, CACNA2D3, NTRK3 genes and the expression levels of circulating miR-124, miR-9-5p, miR-21-5p and miR-132-5p. İn this study, it is aimed to determine the comparison of the expression genes and miRNAs profiles of the patient group diagnosed with LOAD and the control group and evaluate the usability as a prognostic and/or predictive non-invasive biomarker in cases. Methods: Peripheral blood and serum samples from 55 patients with GBD were analyzed using peripheral blood samples of 50 healthy individuals for gene expression analysis and serum samples of 64 healthy individuals for miRNA analysis. Expression levels of 7 candidate genes and 4 miRNAs were analyzed by Real-Time PCR method and statistically evaluated. Results: Significant differences were observed in REST and SYT2 analyzed in the comparison of peripheral blood samples of patients and control group individuals. Additionally, significant differences were found in the 4 mirRNAs (miR-9-5p, miR-124, miR-132-5p, miR-21-5p) included in the study when comparing serum samples from patients diagnosed with LOAD and control group individuals. Conclusion: The gene expression analysis conducted using blood samples revealed that the identified genes and miRNA candidates from serum samples showed significant expression differences, indicating a high potential to distinguish between patient and control groups. This suggests that they could be used as prognostic and/or predictive non-invasive biomarkers in the prognosis of the disease. Keywords: Alzheimer's Disease, Late Onset Alzheimer's, REST-correlated gene, Circulating miRNA, Biomarker