Characterization of human platelet microRNA by quantitative PCR coupled with an annotation network for predicted target genes

Platelets are anucleate blood cells that play a crucial role in thrombosis and hemostasis. Despite their lack of nuclear DNA, platelets contain significant amounts of microRNA (miRNA) that may have vital functions in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Here, we combined comprehensive miRNA expression profiling by quantitative PCR with target prediction analysis for the most abundant miRNAs in human platelets. A network composed of predicted platelet miRNA target genes was then constructed, using annotations available in Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. In addition, we evaluated possible differences in miRNA levels between resting and thrombin-stimulated platelets. We identified 281 transcripts, including 228 mature miRNAs and 53 minor miRNAs (or miR(star)), of which six miRNAs (miR-15 a, miR-339-3 p, miR-365, miR-495, miR-98, and miR-361-3 p) were up-or down-regulated in activated human platelets (P <= 0.001). A redundancy-reduced network was established that encompassed 246 genes in five statistically significant functional clusters representing platelet miRNA regulating pathways. Comparison of the 246 network genes with the platelet mRNA expression data available at ArrayExpress database confirmed that most of these genes (89%) are expressed in human platelets. In conclusion, this work affirms a recent microarray study reporting a wide-spread existence of miRNAs in human platelets. Further, we observed that thrombin stimulation was associated with altered levels of some miRNAs in platelets. The proposed functional network, combining computational prediction analysis with annotations from experimental observations, may in addition provide some information about probable miRNA target pathways in human platelets.