The Potential Role of the Long non-coding RNA MEG3 in Bronchial Asthma in Children

Abstract

T he prevalence of bronchial asthma is increasing among Egyptian school children aged 3-15 years. It is a public health problem occurring in all countries regardless of the developmental level. Bronchial asthma is underdiagnosed and undertreated in children leading to psychosocial problems in the family, impairment in the quality of life, absence of children from school, and being a heavy economic burden. There is no specific test for the diagnosis of asthma, so it is based on the pattern of symptoms and response to therapy over time. Spirometry is then used to confirm the diagnosis, but not in children under the age of six who are too young for spirometry. Different lncRNAs were abnormally expressed in asthmatic patients and play an important role in immune response, immune system process, and response to stress. LncRNAs are promising biomarkers because of their ability to be detected in biofluids, and this has facilitated using them as non-invasive markers of lung diseases. LncRNAs have been easily isolated from sputum and their levels in the circulation can reflect the changes in expression of their lung-specific counterparts, so they can be a diagnostic tool. Lnc-MEG3 has a role in inflammation which is the main underlying pathology in asthma, its silencing inhibits fibrosis and inflammatory response. So, we conducted our study to evaluate the role of lnc-MEG3 expression and its downstream effector in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. Several targets of lnc-MEG3 have been identified so far, one of which "as confirmed by bioinformatics" is GDF15; a protein belonging to the transforming growth factor beta superfamily with anti-inflammatory role. it is secreted from normal epithelial cells and inhibit growth, proliferation and activation of lung fibroblasts. Its level was decreased in mouse and human lungs undergoing fibrosis.