Italian researchers have studied extra-cellular vesicles (EVs) present in the bloodstream and containing several types of very small messenger RNA:
- in particular, microRNAs (miRNAs) and RNAs that interact with the piwi protein (piRNAs) were measured,
- the plasma of 47 patients with different types of myositis was analysed and compared with the plasma of 45 healthy volunteers,
- distinct expression profiles of these miRNAs or piRNAs were established, both between healthy subjects and those with the disease, and within the myositis group itself.
This work highlights the importance of epigenetic phenomena at work, including in autoimmune diseases.
