MicroRNA expression profiling of cerebrospinal fluid/serum exosomes in children with human herpesvirus 6-associated encephalitis/encephalopathy by high-throughput sequencing

Primary human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infection is sometimes accompanied by acute encephalopathy with reduced subcortical diffusion (AED) in immunocompetent children. We investigated exosomal microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and sera of patients with HHV-6-associated AED (n = 5) and febrile seizure (FS) (n = 5) using high-throughput sequencing. A total of 176 and 663 miRNAs were identified in CSF and serum exosomes, respectively. Comparative analysis determined that some miRNAs (miR-381-3p, miR-155) were exclusively expressed in the CSF exosomes of AED but not of FS patients, suggesting their potential application as novel diagnostic biomarkers for AED.

Automated summary

In this study, exosomal miRNA expression profiles in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and sera of patients with HHV-6-associated acute encephalopathy with reduced subcortical diffusion (AED) and febrile seizure (FS) were investigated. Comparative analysis revealed that certain miRNAs were exclusively expressed in the CSF exosomes of AED patients, suggesting their potential as novel diagnostic biomarkers for AED.