Molecular mechanism in the pathogenesis of mild chronic hepatitis B based on microRNA regulation

Objective To investigate the molecular mechanism in the pathogenesis of mild chronic hepatitis B from the perspective of microRNA(miRNA) regulation.Methods A total of 16 patients who visited the outpatient service of Chengdu Hospital of Infectious Diseases from July 2013 to February 2014 were enrolled and divided into mild chronic hepatitis B group and normal group.The Agilent Human miRNA 8 × 60 k microarray chips were used to detect the expression profile of miRNA in plasma and obtain the profile of miRNAs expressed differentially between the two groups.The miRNA bioinformatics analysis software was used to predict target genes,and GO functional enrichment analysis and pathway analysis were performed for these target genes.An analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups,and the t-test was used for comparison between two groups.Results A total of 54 miRNAs were differentially expressed between the two groups(all P < 0.05),and among them,30 were upregulated,and 24 were downregulated.The functions of these miRNAs included cell proliferation,positive / negative transcription regulation,positive / negative regulation of biosynthesis,protein localization,the Wnt receptor signaling pathway,positive / negative regulation of gene expression,the enzyme- linked receptor protein signaling pathway,and phosphorylation of protein amino acids.Pathway analysis revealed that miRNAs were mainly involved in the Wnt signaling pathway,Notch signal transduction pathway,Hedgehog signaling pathway,p53 signaling pathway,and B cell receptor signaling pathways,etc.Conclusion The pathogenesis of mild chronic hepatitis B is regulated by specific miRNAs and involves various life processes and pathways.