RNA-sequencing of epicardial adipose tissue of patients with atrial fibrillation

Accumulating studies have suggested that epicardial adipose tissue play an important role in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF), but few have characterized the underlying mechanism between their interactions. Recent evidence suggested that bioactive molecules secreted from EAT, including exosomes carrying non-coding RNAs, may modulate atrial remodeling. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression profile of mRNAs and ncRNAs in EAT with AF. Overall design: Epicardial adipose samples collected from patients with persistent non-valvular AF (n=6) and sinus rhythm (n=6) were profiled using RNA-sequencing on the Illimina HiSeq 4000.

越来越多的研究表明，心外膜脂肪组织（epicardial adipose tissue, EAT）在心房颤动（atrial fibrillation, AF）的发病机制中发挥重要作用，但目前鲜有研究阐明二者相互作用的潜在分子机制。近期研究证据显示，心外膜脂肪组织分泌的生物活性分子——包括携带非编码RNA（non-coding RNAs, ncRNAs）的外泌体——或可调控心房重构。本研究旨在探究合并心房颤动的心外膜脂肪组织中信使RNA（messenger RNA, mRNA）与ncRNAs的表达谱特征。整体实验设计：本研究采集6例持续性非瓣膜性心房颤动患者与6例窦性心律患者的心外膜脂肪组织样本，采用Illumina HiSeq 4000平台开展RNA测序以获取表达谱数据。