MiRNAs as novel therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers for parkinsons disease

A method of identifying a subject at risk of developing or having Parkinson's Disease (PD), the method comprising:

• a) isolating a biological sample from the subject;
• b) detecting a level of expression in a miRNA signature in the biological sample from the subject, the miRNA signature comprising a plurality of miRNAs;
• the plurality of miRNAs comprising:
• i) SEQ ID NOs:
• 204, 110, 192, 200, 244, 2, 134, 144, 198, 234, 143, 261, 255, and 179 (miR-516-3p, miR-191#, miR-449b, miR-497, miR-628-3p, miR-213, miR-23a, miR-29a#, miR-488, miR-597, miR-296-5p, miR-671-3p, miR-654-3p, and miR-99a#);
• ii) SEQ ID NOs:
• 1-13, (miR-590-3p, miR-213, miR-9#, miR-191#, miR-497, miR-664, miR-99a#, miR-1183, miR-340#, miR-628-3p, miR-7#, miR-29a#, miR-142-3p);
• iii) SEQ ID NOs:
• 14-20 and 2 (miR-590-3p, miR-664, miR-519a, miR-340#, miR-720, miR-142-3p, miR-185, and miR-213);
• or
• iv) SEQ ID NOs:
• 28, 2 and 30-34 (miR-590-3p, miR-213, miR-409-3p, miR-500, miR-7, miR-206, and miR-629);
• c) comparing the level of expression of the plurality of miRNAs in the sample to a level of expression of the plurality of miRNAs in a reference,
• wherein an increased or decreased level of expression in the sample compared to the level of expression in the reference for each of the plurality of miRNAs identifies the subject as having PD or who is at risk of developing PD.