Signature of circular RNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with active tuberculosis

The knowledge of circRNAs in tuberculosis (TB) remains limited. Aim of the present study was to characterize the expression profiles and potential function of circRNAs in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with active TB. Sixty-one participants were recruited consecutively for this study: active TB patients (PTC group, n=31) and 30 healthy controls (PCR group, n=30). All patients were from Weifang Chest Hospital in Shandong Province, China. In order to have a relatively homogenous active TB patient population, only newly diagnosed active TB individuals with sputum smear or culture positive and without obvious lung cavities based on chest X-rays were included in the current study. Patients were excluded if they received any type of treatment or with other diseases. Age- and gender-matched healthy individuals who received regular health checkup at Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University were enrolled as control subjects. Healthy controls with recent close contact of TB patient or history of TB were excluded from this study. Three PBMC specimens from each group (male/female=2/1; PTC group including PTC1, PTC2 and PTC3;PCR group including PCR1,PCR2 and PCR3) were randomly choosed and then used for microarray hybridization, and all of the PBMC samples were applied for subsequent RT-qPCR confirmation.