Abstract
Epigenetic factors are involved in the pathogenesis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are epigenetic regulators amenable to biomarker profiling. Here, we aimed to develop a liquid biopsy protocol to detect pathognomonic circRNA changes in biofluids. Our protocol is adapted from the existing BaseScope™ in situ hybridization technique. Rat biofluids were fixed in a gelatin-coated 96-well plate with formalin. Probes were designed to target circRNAs with significant fold change in nitrofen-induced CDH. FastRED fluorescence was assessed using a plate reader and confirmed with confocal microscopy. We tested maternal serum and amniotic fluid samples from control and nitrofen-treated rats. We detected circRNAs in rat serum and amniotic fluid from control and CDH (nitrofen-treated) rats using fluorescent readout. CircRNA signal was observed in fixed biofluids as fluorescent punctate foci under confocal laser scanning microscopy. This was confirmed by comparison to BaseScope™ lung tissue sections. Signal was concentration dependent and DNase resistant. We successfully adapted BaseScope™ to detect circRNAs in rat biofluids: serum and amniotic fluid. We detected signal from probes targeted to circRNAs that are dysregulated in rat CDH. This work establishes the preliminary feasibility of circRNA detection in prenatal diagnostics.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
