Clinical significance of serum lncRNA H19, GAS5, HAR1B and linc01783 levels in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Background and purpose - Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are highly expressed in the brain and alterations in their levels have been shown in many neurodegenerative disorders. Evidence has shown that lncRNAs play role in the onset and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD) and it can be used as a potential therapeutic target. Our purpose was to detect whether the serum levels of four candidate lncRNAs H19, GAS5, HAR1B and LINC01783 are related with the clinical findings and treatment of PD or not. Methods - 83 patients and 50 healthy controls were included in this study. We assessed how severe the disease is, by using Hoehn Yahr (HY) staging and Unified PD rating scale (UPDRS). Venous blood samples were taken from the participants. Serum samples were centrifuged and stored at -80 degrees C until analysis. Expression levels of these lncRNAs were analyzed by a real-time PCR instrument after RNA isolation and complementary DNA synthesis in the laboratory. Results - There was no significant difference between PD patients and healthy controls in these lncRNAs' serum levels. Just as sociodemographic characteristics, also onset type and right or left predominance of the disease, its duration and treatment did not differ in lncRNA levels. Solely, there was a significant negative correlation between GAS5 and HY and UPDRS scores. Patients with family history of PD had significantly higher levels of LINC01783. Conclusion - Serum lncRNA GAS5 level may be a possible biomarker for disease severity in PD patients.