Soluble PILRα: A novel plasma biomarker for atrial fibrillation progression and recurrence after catheter ablation

We aimed to identify plasma biomarkers of atrial fibrillation (AF) progression and recurrence after catheter ablation. Using AF gene profiling data from GEO database, a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted to determine the most significant module and hub genes associated with AF. Subsequently, 318 consecutively admitted patients who had undergone radiofrequency catheter ablation were enrolled in this study. WGCNA results revealed that paired immunoglobulin-like type 2 receptor alpha (PILRA) was the only black module gene highly correlated with clinical traits. Plasma soluble PILRα (sPILRα) levels were elevated in patients with AF and significantly elevated in patients with persistent versus paroxysmal AF (4.64 ± 2.74 vs. 3.04 ± 1.56 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Elevated sPILRα level was an independent risk factor for AF progression even after adjusting for traditional factors (adjusted odds ratio: 3.06, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.88–5.27, p < 0.001) and AF recurrence after catheter ablation in patients with persistent AF (adjusted hazards ratio: 4.41, 95 % CI: 1.22–15.92, p = 0.023). WGCNA screening of GEO microarray gene profiling data showed PILRA expression levels to be correlated with AF progression and recurrence after catheter ablation in patients with persistent AF.