In silico analysis of plant microRNAs and their targets in public database of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder patients

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) refers to simultaneous appearance of intrusions, avoidance, negative cognitions, and hyperarousal, triggered by traumatic events. It’s a psychiatric illness highly comorbid with depression whose roots are unknown, although gene expression profile has shown to be linked with environment, providing molecular tips about stress diseases. Mature miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs ranging around 22 nucleotides and modulate gene expression in animals and plants. In this study, we aimed to investigate a cross-kingdom regulation by exogenous plants miRNAs present in blood of PTSD&DEP patients and in Non-PTSD&Non-DEP patients by in silico approaches. From 23 samples publicly available in the SRA and from latest release of the miRbase, it was achieved 149 unique hits in PTSD&DEP cohort, and obtained 113 plants miRNAs in Non-PTSD&Non-DEP patients. It was selected 23 plant mature miRNA sequences from case and 16 from the control to be used in targets predictions. 3832 unique genes targets in PTSD&DEP patients, 165 unique genes targets in control patients and 4358 genes common to both case and control patients were discovered. Genes SGK1, SGK2, FKBP4, CRHR1, GABARAPL1, GLUL, GRINA, GRIN2A and GRIA4 were found as targets of plant miRNAs and are related with PTSD or DEP. GO terms related with glutamatergic synapse were overrepresented in our analysis getting into account all human genome. Our findings strengthen hypothesis of cross kingdom regulation and present genes involved in stress disorders that may be target of dietetically miRNAs.