Open Access

Expression profiles and potential roles of serum tRNA‑derived fragments in diabetic nephropathy

  • Authors:
    • Chan Huang
    • Ling Ding
    • Jialing Ji
    • Yunyang Qiao
    • Zihuan Xia
    • Huimin Shi
    • Shiting Zhang
    • Weihua Gan
    • Aiqing Zhang
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: May 11, 2023     https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2023.12010
  • Article Number: 311
  • Copyright: © Huang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most important causes of end‑stage renal disease and current treatments are ineffective in preventing its progression. Transfer RNA (tRNA)‑derived fragments (tRFs), which are small non‑coding fragments derived from tRNA precursors or mature tRNAs, have a critical role in various human diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the expression profile and potential functions of tRFs in DN. High‑throughput sequencing technology was employed to detect the differential serum levels of tRFs between DN and diabetes mellitus and to validate the reliability of the sequencing results using reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR. Ultimately, six differentially expressed (DE) tRFs were identified (P<0.05; |log2fold change| ≥1), including three upregulated (tRF5‑GluCTC, tRF5‑AlaCGC and tRF5‑ValCAC) and three downregulated tRFs (tRF5‑GlyCCC, tRF3‑GlyGCC and tRF3‑IleAAT). Potential functions and regulatory mechanisms of these DE tRFs were further evaluated using an applied bioinformatics‑based analysis. Gene ontology analysis revealed that the DE tRFs are mainly enriched in biological processes, including axon guidance, Rad51 paralog (Rad51)B‑Rad51C‑Rad51D‑X‑Ray repair cross‑complementing 2 complex, nuclear factor of activated T‑cells protein binding and fibroblast growth factor‑activated receptor activity. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis indicated that they are associated with axon guidance, neurotrophin signaling, mTOR signaling, AMPK signaling and epidermal growth factor receptor family signaling pathways. In conclusion, the present findings indicated that tRFs were DE in DN and may be involved in the regulation of DN pathology through multiple pathways, thereby providing a new perspective for the study of DN therapeutic targets.
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July-2023
Volume 26 Issue 1

Print ISSN: 1792-0981
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Copy and paste a formatted citation
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Spandidos Publications style
Huang C, Ding L, Ji J, Qiao Y, Xia Z, Shi H, Zhang S, Gan W and Zhang A: Expression profiles and potential roles of serum tRNA‑derived fragments in diabetic nephropathy. Exp Ther Med 26: 311, 2023.
APA
Huang, C., Ding, L., Ji, J., Qiao, Y., Xia, Z., Shi, H. ... Zhang, A. (2023). Expression profiles and potential roles of serum tRNA‑derived fragments in diabetic nephropathy. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 26, 311. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2023.12010
MLA
Huang, C., Ding, L., Ji, J., Qiao, Y., Xia, Z., Shi, H., Zhang, S., Gan, W., Zhang, A."Expression profiles and potential roles of serum tRNA‑derived fragments in diabetic nephropathy". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 26.1 (2023): 311.
Chicago
Huang, C., Ding, L., Ji, J., Qiao, Y., Xia, Z., Shi, H., Zhang, S., Gan, W., Zhang, A."Expression profiles and potential roles of serum tRNA‑derived fragments in diabetic nephropathy". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 26, no. 1 (2023): 311. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2023.12010