In this study, the small RNA sequencing executed during induction of cardiac hypertrophy in both in vivo and in vitro conditions were annotated for the expression of piRNAs. The expression of piRNAs was validated by qPCR and RNA immunoprecipitation. In addition, the presence of piRNAs in circulation of myocardial infarction patients was studied by qPCR.
We identified an abundant and altered expression of piRNAs during cardiac hypertrophy. The differentially expressed piRNAs was validated by qPCR and RNA immunoprecipitation. The significantly and differentially expressed piRNAs were predicted to target different retrotransposons and mRNAs in the rat genome. The detection of specific piRNA in serum of myocardial infarction patients suggests the potential of piRNA for diagnosis.
Overall this study is the first to provide a whole-genome analysis of the large repertoire of piRNAs in the cardiac system and this would pave a new path to understanding the molecular aetiology of piRNA and retrotransposons in the physiology and pathology of the cardiac system.