Pollen-derived RNAs Are Found in the Human Circulation.

The presence of nonhuman RNAs in man has been questioned and it is unclear if food-derived miRNAs cross into the circulation. In a large population study, we found nonhuman miRNAs in plasma by RNA sequencing and validated a small number of pine-pollen miRNAs by RT-qPCR in 2,776 people. The presence of these pine-pollen miRNAs associated with hay fever and not with overt cardiovascular or pulmonary disease. Using in vivo and in vitro models, we found that transmission of pollen-miRNAs into the circulation occurs via pulmonary transfer and this transfer was mediated by platelet-pulmonary vascular cell interactions and platelet pollen-DNA uptake. These data demonstrate that pollen-derived plant miRNAs can be horizontally transferred into the circulation via the pulmonary system in humans. Although these data suggest mechanistic plausibility for pulmonary-mediated plant-derived miRNA transfer into the human circulation, our large observational cohort data do not implicate major disease or risk factor association.

Diverse human extracellular RNAs are widely detected in human plasma.

There is growing appreciation for the importance of non-protein-coding genes in development and disease. Although much is known about microRNAs, limitations in bioinformatic analyses of RNA sequencing have precluded broad assessment of other forms of small-RNAs in humans. By analysing sequencing data from plasma-derived RNA from 40 individuals, here we identified over a thousand human extracellular RNAs including microRNAs, piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA), and small nucleolar RNAs. Using a targeted quantitative PCR with reverse transcription approach in an additional 2,763 individuals, we characterized almost 500 of the most abundant extracellular transcripts including microRNAs, piRNAs and small nucleolar RNAs. The presence in plasma of many non-microRNA small-RNAs was confirmed in an independent cohort. We present comprehensive data to demonstrate the broad and consistent detection of diverse classes of circulating non-cellular small-RNAs from a large population.

Comparison of RNA isolation and associated methods for extracellular RNA detection by high-throughput quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules that function in RNA silencing and posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. miRNAs in biofluids are being used for clinical diagnosis as well as disease prediction. Efficient and reproducible isolation methods are crucial for extracellular RNA detection. To determine the best methodologies for miRNA detection from plasma, the performance of four RNA extraction kits, including an in-house kit, were determined with miScript miRNA assay technology; all were measured using a high-throughput quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) platform (BioMark System) with 90 human miRNA assays. In addition, the performances of complementary DNA (cDNA) and preamplification kits for TaqMan miRNA assays and miScript miRNA assays were compared using the same 90 miRNAs on the BioMark System. There were significant quantification cycle (Cq) value differences for the detection of miRNA targets between isolation kits. cDNA, preamplification, and qPCR performances were also varied. In summary, this study demonstrates differences among RNA isolation methods as measured by reverse transcription (RT)-qPCR. Importantly, differences were also noted in cDNA and preamplification performance using TaqMan and miScript. The in-house kit performed better than the other three kits. These findings demonstrate significant variability between isolation and detection methods for low-abundant miRNA detection from biofluids.