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Session: Personalizing Nutrition - Genetics and Dietary Pattern interactions (Poster Theater Flash Session 2)

(PTFS02-07-23) Bioinformatics Analyses Identified an Association Between Circulating miRNA and Blood Lipids in a Healthy American Cohort

Saturday, July 22, 2023

2:59 PM – 3:03 PM ET

Location: Fairfax

Presenting Author(s)

LE

Levi W. Evans, PhD

Research Associate - Nutritionist
USDA-ARS WHNRC
Davis, California, United States

Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Co-Author(s)

BB

Brian Bennett, PhD

Research Leader
USDA Agricultural Research Service
Davis, CA, USA
EB

Ellen L. Bonnel, PhD

Human Studies Manager
University of California, Davis
Davis, California, United States
Yasmine Y. Bouzid, BS (she/her/hers)

Doctoral Candidate
University of California, Davis
Davis, California, United States
EC

Eduardo Cervantes, BS

Study Coordinator
University of California, Davis
Davis, California, United States
BD

Blythe P. Durbin-Johnson

University of California, Davis
Kristen L. James, PhD (she/her/hers)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Denver, Colorado, United States
CS

Charles Stephenson

USDA-ARS-WHNRC
PY

Phoebe Yam, BS

Graduate student
University of California, Davis
DAVIS, California, United States

Disclosure(s):

Levi W. Evans, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Yasmine Y. Bouzid, BS: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Kristen L. James, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Objectives: MicroRNA (miRNA) have shown to be a critical component of the genetic regulation of circulating cholesterol concentrations, which is an important risk factor for cardiometabolic disease. Additionally, circulating miRNA have been associated with hypercholesterolemia. The objective of our study was to assess the relationship between circulating plasma miRNA and plasma lipids as well as diet using the Nutritional Phenotyping Cohort.

Methods: Fasting blood samples were collected from participants and used to analyze miRNA expression via The HTG EdgeSeq miRNA Whole Transcriptome Assay. Diet was assessed using the Automated Self-Administered 24 Dietary Recall (ASA24). Differential expression and Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis (WGCNA) were used to identify circulating miRNA associated with LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c) and dietary behavior from the Nutritional Phenotyping Cohort (n=353 healthy Americans).

Results: From our differential expression analysis, two miRNA, miR-15b-5p and miR-16-5p were upregulated in hypercholesterolemic individuals. Of the six miRNA modules associated with LDL-c, we focused our subsequent analysis on two modules highly associated with LDL-c. Critical members of these modules include miR-15b-5p and miR-16-5p as well as miRNA from the miR-30 and let-7 families which are known to influence the expression of genes known that regulate plasma lipid levels, such as HMG CoA enzymes and LDLR. Consumption of legumes has been associated with improved lipid levels, and miR-874-3p, a key miRNA that negatively correlated with LDL-c, was also positively associated with legume consumption.

Conclusions: Our results linked circulating miRNA with LDL-c suggesting that miRNA could be used as biomarkers for hypercholesterolemia. Circulating miRNA may also reflect dietary behaviors and may point to mechanistic pathways that influence the effect of diet on hypercholesterolemia.

Funding Sources: This work was funded by projects within the USDA/ARS/Western Human Nutrition Research Center: (2032–51000-004-00D, 2032–51000-005-00D, 2032–51000-022-00D, 2032–51530-025-00D, and 2032–51530-026-00D).