Abstract
Relatively little is known about the range of RNA levels in human blood. This report provides assessment of peripheral blood RNA level and its inter-individual differences in a group of 35 healthy humans consisting of 25 females and 10 males ranging in age from 50 to 89 years. In this group, the average total RNA level was 14.59 μg/ml of blood, with no statistically significant difference between females and males. The individual RNA level ranged from 6.7 to 22.7 μg/ml of blood. In healthy subjects, the repeated sampling of an individual’s blood showed that RNA level, whether high or low, was stable. The inter-individual differences in RNA level in blood can be attributed to both, differences in cell number and the amount of RNA per cell. The 3.4-fold range of inter-individual differences in total RNA levels, documented herein, should be taken into account when evaluating the results of quantitative RT-PCR and/or RNA sequencing studies of human blood. Based on the presented results, a comprehensive assessment of gene expression in blood should involve determination of both the amount of mRNA per unit of total RNA (U / ng RNA) and the amount of mRNA per unit of blood (U / ml blood) to assure a thorough interpretation of physiological or pathological relevance of study results.
Highlights
The molecular composition of circulating blood reflects the physiological and pathological events in tissues and organs of the human body
The analysis of gene expression in human peripheral blood is considered to be an attractive resource for assessing the metabolic and pathological status of a blood donor
It was shown that some RNA transcripts are relatively stable but hundreds of RNA transcripts are sensitive to ex vivo room temperature storage before RNA extraction [6, 20, 21]
Summary
The molecular composition of circulating blood reflects the physiological and pathological events in tissues and organs of the human body. RNA extracted from human peripheral blood has been reported to be in the range of 1–6 μg of total RNA per ml of blood [5,6,7,8,9]. RNA Level in Human Blood isolation reagents including TRI Reagent, RNAzol RT and RNAzol BD. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS One policies on sharing data and materials. We provide an assessment of RNA levels in the peripheral blood collected from 35 healthy individuals ranging in age from 50 to 89 years. Blood from older adults is frequently analyzed for changes in gene expression when searching for RNA markers that reflect human health status. We investigated blood RNA level and its inter-individual differences in relation to: white blood cell numbers, DNA level, and the gene expression levels of housekeeping genes in human blood
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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.
