Genome-wide microRNAs analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells reveals elevated miR-142-3p expression as a potential biomarker for secondary syphilis

Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum (T. pallidum) infection induces significant immune responses, resulting in tissue damage. Gene expression plays an essential role in regulating the progression of syphilis infection. However, little is known about the regulatory role of miRNAs in the immune response to T. pallidum infection. Here, we analyze the differential expression of miRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) between secondary syphilis (SS) patients and healthy controls and study the correlation between miRNAs expression and clinical features with bioinformatics. RNA extraction and Affymetrix microarray analysis were performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy and secondary syphilis patients. In order to reduce the interference factors caused by treatment, we selected syphilis subjects who had not been treated before the collection of specimens. To this end, we compared the differential expression of miRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy and secondary syphilis patients.