Identification of putative miRNA biomarkers in early rheumatoid arthritis by genome-wide microarray profiling: A pilot study

摘要

Despite the existing research, the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease remains poorly understood with early and accurate diagnosis difficult to achieve. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in biological processes as modulators of transcription and translation. Previous studies have demonstrated a downregulation of several genes in' early RA stages and in addition, miRNAs may serve as early biomarkers of subclinical changes in early RA.