Abstract: Objective To determine whether the miRNA expression profile in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)
differs between liver transplant recipients with long-term stable survival and those with acute rejection. Methods Twenty-nine
liver transplant recipients with long-term stable survival (STA) group, 10 recipients with acute rejection (RJ group), and 17
healthy subjects (control group) were recruited for genome-wide microarray analysis of miRNA expressions in the PBMCs.
The differentially expressed miRNAs among the 3 groups were validated by real-time PCR, and the targets of these miRNAs
were predicted. Results Compared with the RJ group, the STA group showed down-regulation of 13 miRNAs in the PBMCs.
Of these down-regulated miRNAs, miRNA-18b, miRNA-340 and miRNA-106b were validated by real-time PCR, and the latter
two miRNAs were predicted to target the TGF-β pathway. Conclusions The differentially expressed miRNAs in liver
transplant recipients with long-term stable survival, namely miRNA-18b, miRNA-340 and miRNA-106b, can be potential
clinical biomarkers to predict the outcomes of liver transplantation.