Transcriptome analysis of arterial and venous circulating miRNAs during hypertension

Most current circulating miRNA biomarkers are derived from peripheral venous blood, whereas miRNA deregulation in arterial blood in disease conditions has been largely ignored. To explore whether peripheral venous blood miRNAs could represent a bona fide specific miRNA deregulation pattern, we selected hypertension, a disease that is particularly associated with vessels, as the model. Circulating miRNA profiles of arterial and venous blood from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats and their corresponding controls (i.e., WKY rats) were investigated by next-generation miRNA sequencing. Little miRNAs were observed between arterial and venous circulating miRNAs in WKY rats. Interestingly, this number was enhanced in SHR hypertensive rats. Bioinformatical analysis of disease association, enriched target genes and the regulatory transcription factors of these differentially expressed miRNAs implied a potential functional link with cardiovascular disease-related functions. Comparisons between arterial and venous miRNAs in hypertension-versus-control conditions also revealed prominent disease association of circulating miRNAs and their target genes in arteries but not in veins. Moreover, a young non-hypertensive animal model in SHR background (i.e. JSHR) was used as a second control for SHR. Additional transcriptomic analysis and droplet digital PCR validation of arterial and venous deregulated miRNAs among SHR and its two controls (WKY, JSHR) revealed a noticeable consensus of artery-deregulated miRNAs in hypertension and two novel arterial circulating signatures (miR-455-3p and miR-140-3p) of hypertension. These results suggest the necessity of re-evaluating the efficacy of certain venous miRNAs identified in previous studies as potential biomarkers in cardiovascular diseases or a wider disease spectrum.

Automated summary

This study found that differences in circulating miRNAs between arteries and veins increase in hypertension, suggesting that arterial miRNA deregulation may be associated with cardiovascular diseases. Compared to venous miRNAs, arterial miRNAs show a more prominent disease association in arterial blood vessels.