Cigarette Smoke Alters CircRNA Expression in Human T-Cells

Circular RNAs, once thought to be a result of splicing errors, have been found to be involved in various molecular processes and in pathology of various diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative disease. Additionally, circRNA expression was found to be altered by lifestyle habits, such as smoking cigarettes. Past studies have revealed that the rate of smoking remains high in the HIV-positive population. In this study, we isolated total RNA from uninfected T-cells that have been exposed to cigarette smoke and compared the expression levels of circRNAs to those of T-cells that were not exposed to cigarette smoke. We identified certain circRNAs that were upregulated or downregulated in T-cells when exposed to cigarette smoke. These data indicate that the study of circRNAs is warranted within the context of HIV infection. 3 replicates of human lymphocytic T-cells were exposed to 50% cigarette smoke exposure media and 3 additional replicates were exposed to 0% cigarette smoke exposure media for 24 hours. The isolated total intracellular RNA were then sent to Arraystar to assess the effect of cigarette smoke on circRNA levels.