Profiling the piRNA transcriptome of the human brain

Samples of human total RNA from different brain regions at embryonic and adult life stages, along with samples from testes (used as a control for germline piRNAs), were obtained from BioChain Institute (CA, USA) and TaKaRa Bio Inc. (CA, USA). Indexed libraries were prepared using 1 µg of total RNA and the TruSeq Small RNA Sample Prep Kit (Illumina, CA, USA), following the manufacturer's instructions. Each library was sequenced at a concentration of 3pM for 50 cycles on the HiSeq 2500 platform (Illumina, CA, USA). The dataset presented encompasses small non-coding RNA expression profiles across various human brain regions and may be used for further studies of small RNA-related molecular mechanisms of brain function and disease.