HSPA13 gene and microRNA-155: relationship between Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease

Gene dysregulation in trisomy 21 can cause disorders of genes that are members of the heat-shock proteins (HSPs) family and contribute to the early onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in Down syndrome (DS). Objective: Investigate in silico differently expressed genes (DEGs) of HSPs and the interaction with microRNAs (miRNAs) located in human chromosome 21 (Hsa21). Methods: Two transcriptome libraries of human brain samples, datasets GSE5390 (DS) and GSE33000 (DA), were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and analyzed via GEO2R. DEGs with p-values (Adj p-values) <0.05 were analyzed via STRING. MiRNAs were identified in the miRbase database and analysis of their potential regulation on DEGs was performed using the DIANA tools. Results: HSPE1, HSP90B1, HSPB8 and HSPA13 genes showed a different expression pattern in the transcriptomes of DS. The HSPA13 and HSPA2 genes showed an altered expression profile in the DS and AD datasets. In the predicted protein-protein interactions (PPI), we identified the interaction of HSPE1, HSP90B1, HSPB8 and HSPA13 with other HSP proteins. The miRNA encoded by Hsa21 (hsa-miR-155-5p) interacted with the HSPA13 gene. Conclusion. The results suggest that certain genes encoding members of the HSP family, and in particular the interaction between miR-155-5p and HSPA13, may be associated with AD in DS.