Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis Reveals Novel miRNA as Biomarkers Associated with Preeclampsia

Abstract

Preeclampsia is a leading cause of perinatal maternal-foetal mortality and morbidity. This study aims to identify the key microRNAs (miRNA) in preeclampsia and uncover their potential functions. We downloaded the miRNA expression profile of GSE119799 for plasma and GSE177049 for the placenta. Each dataset consisted of five patients (PE) and five controls (N). From a technical point of view, we analysed the counts per million (CPM) for both datasets, highlighting 358 miRNAs in common, 78 unique for plasma and 298 unique for placenta. At the same time, we performed an expression differential analysis (|logFC| ≥ 1|and FDR ≤ 0.05) to evaluate the biological impact of the miRNAs. This approach allowed us to highlight 321 miRNAs in common between plasma and placenta, within which four were upregulated in plasma. Furthermore, the same analysis revealed five miRNAs expressed exclusively in plasma; these were also upregulated. In conclusion, the in-depth bioinformatics analysis conducted during our study will allow us, on the one hand, to verify the targets of each of the nine identified miRNAs; on the other hand, to use them both as new non-invasive biomarkers and as therapeutic targets for the development of personalised treatments.