Small non-coding RNA signature in multiple sclerosis patients after treatment with interferon-β.

Background Non-coding small RNA molecules play pivotal roles in cellular and developmental processes by regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. In human diseases, the roles of the non-coding small RNAs in specific degradation or translational suppression of the targeted mRNAs suggest a potential therapeutic approach of post-transcriptional gene silencing that targets the underlying disease etiology. The involvement of non-coding small RNAs in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s , Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis has been demonstrated. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, characterized by chronic inflammation, demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms. The current standard treatment for SM is interferon s (IFNs) that is less than ideal due to side effects. In this study we administered the standard IFN-s treatment to Relapsing-Remitting MS patients, all responder to the therapy; then examined their sncRNA expression profiles in order to identify the ncRNAs that were associated with MS patients’ response to IFNs.