Análises in silico do polimorfismo de nucleotídeo único (SNP) da versão atualizada do MIR137HG que caracteriza a homozigose (T/T) em pacientes esquizofrênicos

Abstract

MicroRNAs are non-coding RNAs with versatile epigenetic, transcriptional and translational regulation. Many of them are involved, whether by being overexpressed or repressed, in crucial stages of cell differentiation, cancer, metabolic and psychiatric disorders. A microRNA called miR-137 seems to have its expression mostly repressed in several cancers, to stimulate cell differentiation of neural stem cells in adult brain and to have a variant with SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) in its genomic region MIR137HG directly associated with worsening of symptoms of schizophrenia when in homozygous (T/T) and with reduction of miR-137 gene expression. However, data in silico of this region are currently scarce and evidence and/or assumptions about changes in molecular features of this region with and without SNP are lacking. Based on in silico predictions of human MIR137HG, results indicate that the presence of a transcription factor, PBX1, occurring only in sequence with SNP, is possibly associated with suppression miR-137 gene expression in cases of worse symptoms of schizophrenia by homozygous T/T.