Whole-transcriptome analysis of serum L1CAM-captured extracellular vesicles related to autism spectrum disorder

L1CAM-captured extracellular vesicles (LCEVs) were isolated and characterized meticulously. Whole-transcriptome of LCEVs was analyzed by lncRNA microarray and RNA-Sequencing. RNAs expressed differently in LCEVs from ASD sera vs. TD sera were screened, analyzed, and further validated. Serum samples were collected from 100 ASD children and 60 age-matched typically developed (TD) children.To tolerate individual variation, 25 μL of each serum sample was collected and every 20 samples were pooled into one subgroup. Altogether, we got 5 ASD subgroups and 3 TD subgroups (n=20). To avoid bias caused by gender difference, proportion of males in each subgroup was the same (90%). LCEVs in the pooled sera in each group were isolated. Total RNA in LCEVs was isolated using the Exosomal RNA isolation kit and further analyzed using LC Biotech Human lncRNA Microarray 4×180 K (Agilent Technologies; Santa Clara, CA).