Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e41561. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041561. Epub 2012 Jul 31.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate various biological processes, primarily through interaction with messenger RNAs. The levels of specific, circulating miRNAs in blood have been shown to associate with various pathological conditions including cancers. These miRNAs have great potential as biomarkers for various pathophysiological conditions. In this study we focused on different sample types' effects on the spectrum of circulating miRNA in blood. Using serum and corresponding plasma samples from the same individuals, we observed higher miRNA concentrations in serum samples compared to the corresponding plasma samples. The difference between serum and plasma miRNA concentration showed some associations with miRNA from platelets, which may indicate that the coagulation process may affect the spectrum of extracellular miRNA in blood. Several miRNAs also showed platform dependent variations in measurements. Our results suggest that there are a number of factors that might affect the measurement of circulating miRNA concentration. Caution must be taken when comparing miRNA data generated from different sample types or measurement platforms.
微小 RNA（miRNA）是一类小的非编码 RNA，通过与信使 RNA 相互作用来调节各种生物学过程。在血液中，特定的循环 miRNA 的水平与包括癌症在内的各种病理状况相关。这些 miRNA 作为各种病理生理状况的生物标志物具有很大的潜力。在这项研究中，我们专注于不同样本类型对血液中循环 miRNA 谱的影响。使用来自同一个体的血清和相应的血浆样本，我们观察到血清样本中的 miRNA 浓度高于相应的血浆样本。血清和血浆 miRNA 浓度之间的差异与血小板中的 miRNA 存在一些关联，这可能表明凝血过程可能会影响血液中外泌体 miRNA 的谱。一些 miRNA 在测量中也表现出平台依赖性变化。我们的研究结果表明，有许多因素可能会影响循环 miRNA 浓度的测量。当比较来自不同样本类型或测量平台的 miRNA 数据时，必须谨慎。
