Analysis of serum microRNA expression in male workers with occupational noise-induced hearing loss.

Y.H Li,Y.X Shao,L Yang,X Wu,M.J Qi,L.W Xu,Y Hong,Y.Y Wu,X.H Tan,C.J Cao,Y.T Yan,R Chen,Y Yang,H.Y Ma

doi:10.1590/1414-431x20176426

Abstract

Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is a prevalent occupational disorder that impairs auditory function in workers exposed to prolonged noise. However, serum microRNA expression in ONIHL subjects has not yet been studied. We aimed to compare the serum microRNA expression profiles in male workers of ONIHL subjects and controls. MicroRNA microarray analysis revealed that four serum microRNAs were differentially expressed between controls (n=3) and ONIHL subjects (n=3). Among these microRNAs, three were upregulated (hsa-miR-3162-5p, hsa-miR-4484, hsa-miR-1229-5p) and one was downregulated (hsa-miR-4652-3p) in the ONIHL group (fold change >1.5 and Pbon value <0.05). Real time quantitative PCR was conducted for validation of the microRNA expression. Significantly increased serum levels of miR-1229-5p were found in ONIHL subjects compared to controls (n=10 for each group; P<0.05). A total of 659 (27.0%) genes were predicted as the target genes of miR-1229-5p. These genes were involved in various pathways, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Overexpression of miR-1229-5p dramatically inhibited the luciferase activity of 3′ UTR segment of MAPK1 (P<0.01). Compared to the negative control, HEK293T cells expressing miR-1229-5p mimics showed a significant decline in mRNA levels of MAPK1 (P<0.05). This preliminary study indicated that serum miR-1229-5p was significantly elevated in ONIHL subjects. Increased miR-1229-5p may participate in the pathogenesis of ONIHL through repressing MAPK1 signaling.

Highlights

Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL), characterized by auditory function impairments after long-term and persistent exposure to excessive noise, is a common occupational disease [1,2]
After 4–6 h of transfection, the medium was replaced with microRNA profiling MicroRNA microarray assay showed that among 2549 tested microRNAs, 2362 (92.7%) were not expressed in either groups, while 34 (1.3%) and 6 (0.2%) microRNAs were found to be exclusively expressed in controls and ONIHL subjects, respectively (Figure 1A)
Hearing loss is associated with a variety of genetic and environmental factors, including male gender, age, and noise exposure [3]

Summary

Introduction

Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL), characterized by auditory function impairments after long-term and persistent exposure to excessive noise, is a common occupational disease [1,2]. The pathogenesis of ONIHL has not yet been fully described, it is suggested that this disorder results from both genetic and environmental factors [4,5]. Individual variations in the susceptibility to noise exposure might be associated with genetic factors [6]. MicroRNAs are a family of short, single-stranded, noncoding RNAs that play pivotal roles in modulating gene expression by targeting mRNAs for cleavage or translational repression [7]. The use of circulating microRNAs, from full blood, serum or plasma, as predictive biomarkers, have been implicated in several human disorders, including cancer [8], neurological disorders [9], cardiovascular diseases [10], and infectious diseases [11]. In a previous study, Ding et al [12]

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