Identifying RNA Biomarkers and Molecular Pathways Involved in Multiple Subtypes of Uveitis.

Abstract Purpose : Uveitis is a heterogeneous collection of diseases. We tested the hypothesis that despite the diversity of uveitides, there could be common mechanisms shared by multiple subtypes, and that evidence of these common mechanisms may be detected as gene expression profiles in whole blood. Design : Cohort study. Methods : Ninety subjects with uveitis including axial spondyloarthritis (n=17), sarcoidosis (n=13), inflammatory bowel disease (n=12), tubulo-interstitial nephritis with uveitis (n=10), or idiopathic uveitis (n=38) as well as 18 healthy controls were enrolled, predominantly at Oregon Health & Science University. RNA-Seq data generated from peripheral, whole blood identified 19859 unique transcripts. We analyzed gene expression pathways via KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) and GO (Gene Ontology). We validated our list of upregulated genes by comparison to a previously published study on peripheral blood gene expression among 50 subjects with diverse forms of uveitis. Results : Both the KEGG and GO analysis identified multiple shared pathways or GO terms with a p value Conclusions : Many forms of uveitis share overlapping mechanisms. These data support the concept that a single therapeutic approach could benefit diverse forms of this disease.