MiRNA-mRNA expression profiles and functional network after injection of botulinum toxin type A into submandibular gland [microarray]

Backgroud: Botulinum toxin type A (BTXA) is widely used for the treatment of sialorrhea and other glandular hypersecretion diseases. Micro ribonucleic acid (miRNA) plays an important role in the occurrence and development of salivary diseases, but it is still unclear which role miRNA plays during the inhibition of salivary secretion triggered by BTXA. This work was aimed to explore the miRNA-mRNA expression profiles and functional network after injection of BTXA into submandibular gland. Methods: The differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs and mRNAs between the control group and BTXA group were identified through high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analyses and were confirmed by qRT-PCR. Bioinformatic analyses were performed to identify the critical biological functions and signalling pathways and established the functional network. Results: A total of 19 DE miRNAs and 1072 DE mRNAs were identified between the control group and BTXA group. We confirmed 6 DE miRNAs through the qRT-PCR validation. Bioinformatic analysis identified that several pathways may be associated with the inhibition of salivary secretion, such as MAPK signaling pathway, Tight junction and Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. We predicted the target genes of these 6 DE miRNAs and established the miRNA-mRNA interaction network. The intersection of DE mRNAs and target genes was performed and finally obtained 7 mRNAs: EGR2, PAQR9, ZKSCAN1, USP6N, lCYB561A3, ZFHX4 and CLIC5. Conclusions: Our study describes the miRNA and mRNA expression profiles and functional network after injection of BTXA into submandibular gland. These findings explore the mechanism of BTXA in inhibiting salivary secretion, and probably provide a new idea for the clinical application. Key words: miRNA-mRNA, BTXA, submandibular gland Detection of expression profiles of miRNA and mRNA in submandibular glands of control group and BTXA group, and analysis of GO and KEGG pathways.