Identification and characterisation of temporal abundance of small non-coding RNAs in synovial fluid from an experimental equine model of osteoarthritis

Small non-coding RNAs, a class of small noncoding RNAs, serve as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and are present in a stable and quantifiable form in biological fluids. Small non-coding RNAs may influence intra-articular responses and the course of disease, but very little is known about their temporal changes in osteoarthritis. The aims of this study were to identify small non-coding RNAs and characterise the temporal changes in their abundance in synovial fluid from horses with experimentally induced osteoarthritis. RNA extracted from synovial fluid obtained sequentially (Day 0, 28 and 70) from horses with experimentally induced osteoarthritis was subjected to small RNA sequencing using the Illumina Hiseq 4000 sequencing platform.