Circular RNA expression profile in human thoracic aortic dissection

To assess the circular RNAs (circRNAs) expression profile and explore the potential functions in human thoracic aortic dissection (TAD).The differentially expressed circRNAs profiles of the aortic segments between human type A TAD patients (n=3) and age-matched normal donors (NA; n=3) were analyzed using the Arraystar human circRNAs microarray. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to validate the expression pattern of circRNAs, parental genes, and hsa-miR-320a; Western blotting confirmed MMP9 expression with additional samples. Bioinformatic tools including network analysis, Gene ontology, and KEGG pathway analysis were utilized. Aortic specimens were collected from type A TAD patients undergoing aortic replacement in the intimal tear position at the hospital in 2015. Normal thoracic aortas (NA) were obtained from six age- and gender-matched organ donors without aortic diseases.