MicroRNA expression profile in macrophages from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients

In osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), many pathological alterations result from aberrant macrophage hyperactivation in the inflamed synovial membrane, and inhibition of macrophage effector functions is a therapeutic strategy in both diseases. Little is known, about the specific genetic circuits that are differentially deregulated in RA and OA macrophages. microRNA (miR) are short single stranded non-coding RNAs involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Altered expression of miRs has been described under various pathological conditions, including rheumatic and other autoimmune diseases. Here we compared the miR expression profile in macrophages isolated from OA and RA patients miR expression in OA and RA macrophages was analyzed using Exiqon miRCURY microarrays. Three biological replicates (patients) were analyzed. Two samples (RA vs OA) were hybridized per microarray.