Global microRNA profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with Behçet's disease

OBJECTIVES: To explore the post-transcriptional regulation of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) transcriptome by microRNAs in Behçet's disease (BD). METHODS: Using TaqMan Low Density Array-based microRNAs expression profiling, the expression of 750 mature human microRNAs in PBMCs from 5 BD patients and 3 healthy controls (HC) was compared. The expression of deregulated microRNAs was then validated by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), in 42 BD patients and 8 HC. RESULTS: In the initial screening, 13 microRNAs appeared deregulated in BD vs HC. Among them, the differential expression of miR-720 and miR-139-3p was confirmed by qRT-PCR, (p<0.05 and FDR