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 [rat miRNA 2.0]

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 rat miRNA 2.0 GeneChip data only but is part of a larger SuperSeries (GSE71579).本研究针对确诊为酒精使用障碍（Alcohol Use Disorder, AUD）的人类受试者血清中的细胞外微小RNA（microRNA, miRNA）开展全局表达分析，旨在筛选出可用于早期脑损伤或脑功能异常的稳健生物标志物。本研究纳入20名酒精使用障碍受试者与10名年龄匹配的健康对照个体，所有受试者均接受全面的医学、神经心理学及神经影像学检查，随后对其外周血清中的miRNA表达水平进行对比分析。研究采用两种独立的高通量检测方法对miRNA表达水平进行定量：Affymetrix基因芯片与Illumina新一代RNA测序。为验证实验结果的跨物种适用性，本研究借助大鼠饮酒模型与小鼠神经干细胞培养模型开展验证实验；同时通过对未处理大鼠的血清与机体组织进行额外RNA测序，分析血清miRNA的组织特异性。本数据集仅包含大鼠miRNA 2.0基因芯片数据，但其隶属于更大的超级数据集（SuperSeries，编号GSE71579）。