Integrative Analysis of miRNA and gene Expression Profiles of Early-Onset Preeclampsia

To investigate the differentially expressed mRNAs and microRNAs in human placenta between early-onset preeclampsia (EO-PE) and preterm birth controls (PTB), next generation sequencing was performed in 5 paired EO-PE and PTB placentas. Overall design: The rapid development of gene microarray and next generation sequencing has expedited the understanding of the genetic landscape of PE. While substantial evidence supports differential placental gene expression in PE, few studies were reported to systematically study miRNA and gene expression profiles in PE which should provide new insights into the miRNA-gene regulatory networks during the pathological process of PE. To address this paucity of data, we investigated global placental miRNA and gene expression using high-throughput RNA sequencing and quantitative real-time (qRT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methodologies among 5 EO-PE cases and 5 normotensive preterm control subjects to identify miRNA-gene interaction networks and PE-associated biological pathways.