MicroRNA profiling in serum reveals host-virus interactions associated with Epstein-Barr virus in persons with multiple sclerosis

PwMS were stratified by Low- and High-EDSS and compared to PwoMS in Discovery (DC) and Validation (VC) Cohorts. miRNAs were measured by sequencing in the DC that were verified by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) in the VC. Multiple machine learning algorithms were applied to each dataset.

Here, hsa-miR-26b-5p was suppressed in High-EDSS PwMS while hsa-miR-181d-5p was suppressed in the Low-EDSS PwMS, compared to PwoMS. ebv-miR-BART11-5p, identified in the DC by sequencing, was increased in Low-EDSS versus High-EDSS PwMS in the VC. In conclusion, this study identified previously unrecognized miRNAs, hsa-miR-181d-5p, hsa-miR-26b-5p, and ebv-miR-BART11-5p, associated with disease severity in PwMS.