Abstract: Objective To explore the role of hsa-miR-10a-5p in severe community acquired pneumonia (SCAP) and to evaluate the potential of hsa-miR-10a-5p as a SCAP biomarker. Methods microRNA sequencing (27 SCAP blood samples and 10 healthy control blood samples) and bioinformatics methods were used to explore hsa-miR-10a-5p as a potential marker of the severity of community acquired pneumonia. The role of hsa-miR-10a-5p in SCAP was examined in combination with mRNA sequencing (41 SCAP blood samples and 10 healthy control blood samples), target gene prediction, and gene functional enrichment analysis. Results hsa-miR-10a-5p level was significantly down-regulated in SCAP, with more down-regulation in the death group. The level of hsa-miR-10a-5p was negatively correlated with the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the microRNA level predicting SCAP prognosis was 0.776. When SCAP occurred, the predicted targeted gene of hsa-miR-10a-5p regulated biological processes and pathways whick were closely related to the development of pneumonia. Conclusions hsa-miR-10a-5p can indicate the severity of community acquired pneumonia and predict the prognosis as a potential biomarker.

Key words: severe community acquired pneumonia, biomarker, hsa-miR-10a-5p