Journal of Isfahan Medical School

Journal of Isfahan Medical School

In Silico Analysis of SNPs in MicroRNAs Related to Th1/Th2 Differentiation Pathways in Schizophrenia

Document Type : Original Article (s)

Authors
Pegah Mousavi 1
Nahid Davoodian 2
1 Assistant Professor, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Molecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
10.48305/jims.v44.i875.1543
Abstract
Background: Genetic variations in miRNAs and their binding sites may increase schizophrenia risk by disrupting miRNA-target interactions, impairing brain development, and elevating susceptibility to this disorder. This study employed in silico tools to predict the deleterious effects of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in overlapped miRNAs related to Th1/Th2 differentiation in schizophrenia, focusing on their impact on miRNA stability, structure, and target binding.
Methods: Overlapped miRNAs associated with Th1/Th2 differentiation in schizophrenia were retrieved from miRTarBase and miRWalk databases. To identify and predict the functional effects of SNPs located in the precursor and mature regions of candidate miRNAs, Ensembl, miRNASNP-v4, and SNP2TFBS databases were used. Finally, enrichment analysis of biological pathways was performed using NcPath database.
Findings: miRNASNP-v4 identified multiple SNPs across seven overlapped miRNAs (hsa-miR-107, hsa-miR-1827, hsa-miR-206, hsa-miR-320e, hsa-miR-4429, hsa-miR-4467, and hsa-miR-936), with the highest SNP counts in pre-miRNA and mature miRNA regions, particularly in hsa-miR-320e, hsa-miR-4467, and hsa-miR-936. SNPs rs1350983737 and rs1043872367 in hsa-miR-4467 exhibited the strongest and weakest influences on mature miRNA production, respectively. Notably, miR-4467 and miR-320e harbored the most seed region SNPs, potentially disrupting miRNA binding to 3′UTR of target mRNAs. Several SNPs were also found in miRNA promoter regions, potentially impairing transcription factor binding.
Conclusion: SNPs in miRNAs can affect both their expression and regulatory functions. Genetic variations in schizophrenia-related miRNAs represent important targets for further investigation to elucidate disease molecular mechanisms.

Highlights

Pegah Mousavi: Google Scholar , PubMed

Nahid Davoodian: Google Scholar , PubMed

Keywords
Bioinformatics
SNPs
Psychiatric disorders
Subjects
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Journal of Isfahan Medical School
Volume 44, Issue 875
2nd Week,October
September and October 2026
Pages 1543-1561

  • Receive Date 31 August 2025
  • Accept Date 25 July 2026