MicroRNA Profiling of Bone Marrow Plasma Extracellular Vesicles in Multiple Myeloma, Extramedullary Disease, and Plasma Cell Leukemia

Abstract

Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell malignancy characterized by an abnormal increase in monoclonal immunoglobulins. Despite significant advances in treatment, some patients progress to more aggressive forms of multiple myeloma, including extramedullary disease or plasma cell leukemia. Although the exact molecular mechanisms are not known, several studies have confirmed the involvement of small extracellular vesicle-enriched microRNAs in multiple myeloma progression. Therefore, we performed expression profiling of these molecules in bone marrow plasma of multiple myeloma, extramedullary disease, and plasma cell leukemia patients using small RNA sequencing to identify novel molecules involved in disease pathogenesis. In total, 42 microRNAs were significantly dysregulated among analyzed subgroups. Independent validation by RT-qPCR confirmed elevated levels of miR-140-3p, miR-584-5p, miR-191-5p, and miR-143-3p in multiple myeloma patients compared to extramedullary disease and plasma cell leukemia patients. Subsequent statistical analysis revealed significant correlations between patient clinical characteristics or flow cytometry parameters and microRNA expression. These results indicate that dysregulation of microRNAs could contribute to multiple myeloma progression.

Keywords: extramedullary disease; microRNAs; multiple myeloma; plasma cell leukemia; small RNA sequencing; small extracellular vesicles.