Alterations in serum microRNA in humans with alcohol use disorders impact cell proliferation and cell death pathways and predict structural and functional changes in brain [miRNA-Seq]

We performed a global analysis of extracellular miRNAs in the serum of human subjects diagnosed with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) to identify robust biomarkers of early brain damage or dysfunction. This was performed in a set of 20 AUD subjects and 10 age-matched controls. They were subjected to comprehensive medical, neuropsychological and neuroimaging tests, followed by comparison of miRNA levels found in peripheral blood serum. The levels of miRNAs were quantified using two independent high-throughput methods: Affymetrix microarray and Illumina next-generation RNA-sequencing. Cross-species validation was performed using rat drinking models and mouse neural stem cell culture models, with tissue specificity of the serum miRNAs examined using additional RNA-sequencing of serum and body tissues in untreated rats. This data series includes the human miRNA data obtained from RNA-sequencing only but is part of a larger superseries. Overall design: A total of 30 miRNA 3.0 GeneChips and 27 RNA-sequencing libraries were run on the same RNA samples from human subjects.