Small RNA-seq analysis of hypertensive patients with or without urinary albumin excretion

The goal of this study is to compare the plasma or exosomal (from urine and plasma) miRNA profiles of hypertensive patients with or without urinary albumin excretion. We analyzed 48 hypertensive subjects, 22 had elevated albuminuria and 26 were normoalbuminuric. Three individual small RNA libraries from each patient were prepared (total plasma, plasma exosomes and urine exosomes) for Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) profiling. Differentially expressed circulating miRNAs were over-represented in KEGG pathways. Our results revealed a dysregulated exosomal miRNA signature associated to albuminuria in hypertension. The identified miRNAs are master regulators of key proteins in the maintenance of the glomerular filtration barrier, suggesting the potential use of exo-miRNAs as early biomarkers and therapeutic tools in kidney injury.