Membrane array-based differential profiling of platelets during storage for 52 miRNAs associated with apoptosis.

Background: Enucleated platelets (PLTs) utilize posttranscriptional gene (mRNA) regulation (PTGR) for their normal morphologic and physiologic functions, which are altered in their ex vivo storage, also collectively referred to as storage lesions. While cellular micro-RNAs (miRNAs) play a significant role in posttranscriptional gene (mRNA) regulation by binding to their target mRNAs, comprehensive analysis of apoptosis-associated miRNAs and global changes in their profiles during PLT storage have not been evaluated to date.

Study Design And Methods: In this report room temperature-stored PLTs of Days 0, 2, and 9 were analyzed by differential profiling for 52 apoptosis-associated human miRNAs. After total RNA extraction from the samples, a membrane array-based miRNA analysis was carried out. Prediction of target genes was performed by bioinformatics-based approaches.

Results: Our analysis revealed that during storage, Let-7a, -7c, -7e, -7f, -7g, and -7i miRNA profiles of the PLTs were barely detectable, while levels of miR-150, -151, -152, -184, -188, -196a, -197, and -202 remained at high levels in PLTs. The rest of the miRNA levels were in between. However, two miRNAs, Let-7b and miR-16, distinctly demonstrated an increasing trend while miR-7 and miR-145 showed a decreasing profile during PLT storage. For these four miRNAs, we also identified their potential target mRNAs.

Conclusions: Overall, these results confirm the fact that miRNAs do exist in PLTs, and among 52 apoptosis-specific miRNAs studied, only a few selected miRNAs did perturb during PLT storage. Future experimental evaluation of these miRNA-target mRNA interactions will provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of PLT storage-associated lesions.