Differential Expressions of microRNAs and Transfer RNA-derived Small RNAs: Potential Targets of Choroidal Neovascularization

<b>Purpose</b>: Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is one of the major clinical characteristics of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) play key roles in diverse biological functions. The purpose of the study was to investigate the roles and possible functions of the miRNAs and tsRNAs in CNV. <b>Methods</b>: The mouse model of laser-induced CNV was conducted by laser photocoagulation. The expression profiles of miRNAs and tsRNAs were accessed by small RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) in RPE-choroid-sclera complexes of mice in CNV group and control group. Selected altered miRNAs and tsRNAs were validated by qRT-PCR. Target genes were predicted by informatics analysis and intersected with the previous microarray study of altered mRNAs. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were conducted to reveal the biological functions and signaling pathways with which these target genes are most enriched. <b>Results</b>: The results revealed that 79 miRNAs and 72 tsRNAs in total were significantly altered in the RPE-choroid-sclera complexes of CNV mice. GO analysis revealed that the altered target genes of the selected miRNAs most enriched in immune response, integral component of membrane and peptide binding, while the altered target genes of tsRNAs most enriched in regulation of immune system process, extracellular region, and core promoter binding. Moreover, KEGG pathway analysis demonstrated that altered target genes of miRNAs and tsRNAs most enriched in hematopoietic cell lineage and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor signaling pathway, respectively. <b>Conclusions</b>: Our study identified differential expressions of miRNAs and tsRNAs in CNV model, and these altered miRNAs and tsRNAs might be novel potential targets in treating CNVs in patients with neovascular AMD.