title: Differential expression of urinary exosomal microRNAs in IgA nephropathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common type of primary glomerulonephritis in the world. Reliable biomarkers are required for the non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of IgAN. This study aims to investigate the difference in urinary exosomal microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles between patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and healthy controls, which may provide clues to identify novel potential non-invasive miRNA biomarkers for renal diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Urine samples were collected from eighteen healthy controls and eighteen patients with IgAN. Differential centrifugation was performed to isolate exosomes from urine samples. High-throughput sequencing and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were sequentially used to screen and further validate miRNA expression profiles in urinary exosomes of patients with IgAN in two independent cohorts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Urinary exosomes were successfully isolated to obtain exosomal miRNAs. MiR-215-5p and miR-378i were significantly upregulated in urinary exosomes of patients with IgAN compared with healthy controls (P<.01), while miR-29c and miR-205-5p were significantly downregulated (P<.05). MiR-215-5p, miR-378i, miR-365b-3p and miR-135b-5p were found to have altered expression in patients with IgAN from validation cohorts, which was consistent with the high-throughput sequencing analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that there is a significant difference in urinary exosomal miRNA profiles between patients with IgAN and healthy controls. These exosomal miRNAs, such as miR-29c, miR-146a and miR-205 may potentially serve as novel non-invasive biomarkers for IgAN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Qing-Hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Min
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Xi-Min
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Ye-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Shu-Qi
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Qiu-Fang
authors.initials: QF
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Lin-Feng
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6668-671X
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Zhong
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D055354:Exosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005922:Glomerulonephritis, IGA / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: IgA nephropathy; biomarker; microRNA; urinary exosomes