Current state of epigenetics in giant cell arteritis : focus on microRNA dysregulation

Bolha, Luka (author), Hočevar, Alojzija (author), Jurčić, Vesna (author)

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a primary systemic vasculitis affecting the elderly, characterized by a granulomatous vessel wall inflammation of large- and medium-sized arteries. The immunopathology of GCA is complex, involving both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system, where a maladaptive inflammatory-driven vascular repair process ultimately results in vessel wall thickening, intramural vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, neovascularization and vessel lumen occlusion, which can lead to serious ischemic complications such as visual loss and ischemic stroke. Over the past decade, microRNA (miRNA) dysregulation has been highlighted as an important contributing factor underlying the pathogenesis of GCA. Since current understanding of miRNA involvement in GCA remains largely based on extrapolation of previously determined miRNA functions in vitro or in loss- or gain-of-function studies, an overall insight into the role of miRNA alteration in GCA pathophysiology remains limited. In this narrative review, we summarize the current knowledge on aberrantly expressed miRNAs in GCA and thoroughly discuss the impact of their altered regulatory role in the context of GCA setting. Furthermore, we address challenges and future perspectives in utilization of miRNA-based diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of GCA in clinical settings.

• Language: English
• Keywords: giant cell arteritis, epigenetics, microRNA, inflammation, vascular remodeling, biomarker
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 17 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 24, iss. 3, art. 103739
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-166728
• UDC: 616.1
• ISSN on article: 1873-0183
• DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2024.103739
• COBISS.SI-ID: 223554307
• Publication date in RUL: 23.01.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Autoimmunity reviews
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1873-0183
• COBISS.SI-ID: 89965827

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: gigantocelični arteritis, epigenetika, mikroRNA, vnetje, preoblikovanje ožilja, biološki označevalec

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P3-0054
• Name: Patologija in molekularna genetika