Expression and correlation of circulating miRNAs in healthy obese children

The miRNA expression profile in the body circulation of obese children differs from normal children.Thirty-six differential expression miRNAs were screened by gene chip, and seven up-regulated miRNAs were verified by TaqMan qPCR This result is attributed to the abnormal metabolism of obese children. hsa-miR-15b-5p and hsa-miR-223-3p could serve as a molecular marker for screening obese children and susceptible population of metabolic syndrome. Thirty children including 15 obese and 15 extremely thin were selected. The miRNA microarray was used to detect the expression of miRNAs in circulating plasma. The reliability of differential miRNA expression was verified using TaqMan qPCR. The correlation between miRNA and obesity was analyzed using multiple linear regression. Target genes for selected miRNAs were analyzed using informatics tools, and a functional network map was constructed.