Alternative miRNAs? Human sequences misidentified as plant miRNAs in plant studies and in human plasma.

ABSTRACT: Background: A 2017 study reported that "Plant miRNAs found in human circulating system provide evidences of cross kingdom RNAi". Analysis of two human blood plasma sequencing datasets was said to provide evidence for uptake of plant miRNAs into human plasma. The results were also purportedly inconsistent with contamination. Methods: Sequences from public datasets and miRNA databases were compared with results downloaded from the website of the reporting journal. Results: Only one putative plant miRNA ("peu-MIR2910) mapped consistently above background, and this sequence is found with 100% identity in a human rRNA. Several other rarer but consistently mapped putative plant miRNAs also have 100% or near 100% matches to human transcripts or genomic sequences, and some do

SUBMITTER: Witwer KW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5904727 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature