dysregulated expression of mir-222 and mir-15a in transfusion-dependent thalassemia: associations with torque teno virus and cytomegalovirus infections

Background: beta-thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder characterized by reduced synthesis of the beta-globin chain. micrornas (mirs) are small rna molecules that regulate gene expression and have been implicated in beta-thalassemia. to explore dysregulated mir-222 and mir-15a expression in transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia and assess their potential associations with torque teno virus and cytomegalovirus infections. materials and methods: this study included 57 tdt patients registered at the thalassemia clinic affiliated with the hematology research center, shiraz, iran. the expression levels of mir-222 and mir-15a were analyzed using the real-time sybr green pcr method. ttv and cmv infections were detected by analyzing the presence of their genomic dna using an in-house semi-nested pcr protocol.results: the expression level of mir-222 was significantly up-regulated (47.5-fold, p≤0.001) in tdt patients compared to healthy controls. however, the expression of mir-15a in tdt patients was slightly decreased compared to healthy controls, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.193). ttv infection was observed in 21.1% of tdt patients, while cmv infection was detected in 5.2% of the patients. although mir-222 and mir-15a gene expression levels were higher in ttv-positive patients compared to ttv-negative patients, the differences were not statistically significant (p=0.926 and p=0.243, respectively).conclusion: mir-222 was up-regulated in tdt patients, but mir-15a did not show a significant difference. ttv and cmv infections were detected, but their association with mir expression was not significant, possibly due to the small sample size. larger studies are needed for a more comprehensive evaluation.