Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2015 Oct 20;20(10):19030-40.
doi: 10.3390/molecules201019030.

miRNA Stability in Frozen Plasma Samples

Francesca Balzano  1 , Marta Deiana  2 , Silvia Dei Giudici  3 , Annalisa Oggiano  4 , Angela Baralla  5 , Sara Pasella  6 , Andrea Mannu  7 , Mario Pescatori  8 , Baingio Porcu  9 , Giuseppe Fanciulli  10 , Angelo Zinellu  11 , Ciriaco Carru  12 , Luca Deiana  13   14
Affiliations
Comparative Study

miRNA Stability in Frozen Plasma Samples

Francesca Balzano et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a family of small non-coding ribonucleic acids that post-transcriptionally inhibits the expression of their target messenger RNAs (mRNAs), thereby acting as general gene repressors. In this study we examined the relative quantity and stability of miRNA subjected to a long period of freezing; we compared the stability of eight miRNAs in the plasma of five human healthy controls before freezing and after six and 12 months of storage at -80 °C. In addition, we examined the plasma frozen for 14 years and the amount of miRNA still available. Using a Life Technologies protocol to amplify and quantify plasma miRNAs from EDTA (Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid)-treated blood, we analyzed the stability of eight miRNAs, (miR-125b-5p, miR-425-5p, miR-200b-5p, miR-200c-3p, miR-579-3p, miR-212-3p, miR-126-3p, and miR-21-5p). The miRNAs analyzed showed a high stability and long frozen half-life.

Keywords: long freezing times; miRNA; sequences AU or UA; stability.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relative expression (concentration) of the miRNAs analyzed in this study in samples frozen for 12 months compared with fresh samples. 1 = miR-125b-5p; 2 = miR-425-5p; 3 = miR-200b-5p; 4 = miR-200c-3p; 5 = miR-579-3p; 6 = miR-212-3p; 7 = miR-126-3p; 8 = miR-21-5p.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relative expression (concentration) of the miRNAs analyzed in this study in samples collected in 2010 and frozen at −80 °C compared with fresh samples. 1 = miR-125b-5p; 2 = miR-425-5p; 3 = miR-200b-5p; 4 = miR-200c-3p; 5 = miR-579-3p; 6 = miR-212-3p; 7 = miR-126-3p; 8 = miR-21-5p.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relative expression (concentration) of the miRNAs analyzed in this study in samples collected in 2009 and frozen at −80 °C compared with fresh samples. 1 = miR-125b-5p; 2 = miR-425-5p; 3 = miR-200b-5p; 4 = miR-200c-3p; 5 = miR-579-3p; 6 = miR-212-3p; 7 = miR-126-3p; 8 = miR-21-5p.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Relative expression (concentration) of the miRNAs analyzed in this study in samples collected in 1999 and frozen at −80 °C compared with fresh samples. 1 = miR-125b-5p; 2 = miR-425-5p; 3 = miR-200b-5p; 4 = miR-200c-3p; 5 = miR-579-3p; 6 = miR-212-3p; 7 = miR-126-3p; 8 = miR-21-5p.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bartel D.P. MicroRNAs: Genomics, biogenesis, mechanism, and function. Cell. 2004;116:281–297. doi: 10.1016/S0092-8674(04)00045-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mattick J.S., Makunin I.V. Non-coding RNA. Hum. Mol. Genet. 2006;1:17–29. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddl046. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lund E., Guttinger S., Calado A., Dahlberg J.E., Kutay U. Nuclear export of microRNA precursors. Science. 2004;303:95–98. doi: 10.1126/science.1090599. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Filipowicz W., Bhattacharyya S.N., Sonenberg N. Mechanisms of post-transcriptional regulation by microRNAs: Are the answers in sight? Nat. Rev. Genet. 2008;9:102–114. doi: 10.1038/nrg2290. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lim L.P., Glasner M.E., Yekta S., Burge C.B., Bartel D.P. Vertebrate microRNA genes. Science. 2003;299:1540. doi: 10.1126/science.1080372. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types