Short single-stranded DNAs with putative non-canonical structures comprise a new class of plasma cell-free DNA.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA), which is extracellular DNA present in the circulating plasma and other body fluids, is currently investigated as a minimally invasive, highly informative biomarker. While nucleosome-sized cfDNA fragments have been investigated intensively, shorter DNA fragments in the plasma have not been studied due to several technical limitations.

Results

We aimed to investigate the existence of shorter cfDNA fragments in the blood. Using an improved cfDNA purification protocol and a 3'-end-labeling method, we found DNA fragments of approximately 50 nucleotides in length in the human plasma, present at a molar concentration comparable to that of nucleosome-sized fragments. Unfortunately, these short fragments cannot be recovered by widely used cfDNA isola

SUBMITTER: Hisano O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8518174 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature