Microrna Expression Profiling Of Kidney Tissues In Patients With Congenital Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction

Objectives: To identify microRNA expression signature in patients with congenital ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) compared with normal kidney tissues, and explore microRNAs that have a relationship with the renal function of patients with congenital hydronephrosis. Methods: A total of four patients with UPJO were recruited into this study in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yet-sen University. The case group samples were harvested from patients with congenital UPJO, while the control group samples were normal kidney tissues adjacent to tumors harvested from patients with nephroblastoma. MiRNA expression profiles were assessed using miRNA microarrays. The target genes and the functions of selected microRNA were analyzed using bioinformatic methods. Results: Five miRNAs were significantly altered in patients with congenital UPJO with the control group. Bioinformatic analyses of these differentially expressed miRNAs showed that three up-regulated miRNAs were associated with each other through a protein-protein interaction (PPI) sub-network. In addition, enrichment analyses showed that most of the genes targeted by the three up-regulated miRNAs were associated with tumor apoptosis. Conclusions: Our analysis showed that miRNA expression profiling of kidney tissues are altered in congenital UPJO patients which may contribute to the disease progression through different biological processes. After proper validation, these microRNAs may play significant roles in the therapeutic applications and be the potential therapeutic targets in congenital UPJO.