Expression profiles of tRNA-derived fragments and their potential roles in ovarian endometriosis.

Transfer RNA-derived fragments have been reported to play a vital role in disease progression, but their role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis remains unknown. Small RNA sequencing was conducted in three paired ovarian endometriomas and eutopic endometria. The data from 22 paired samples were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and bioinformatic analysis was performed to establish the roles of these fragments in endometriosis pathogenesis. We identified 19 upregulated and five downregulated tRNA-derived fragments, of which tiRNA-5 was the most common. Gene Ontology and pathway analyses revealed that these molecules could have roles in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. tRNA-derived fragments are dysregulated and could be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of ovarian endometriosis.