Page 14 - Q. Neuroscience

[Q. Neuroscience-8]

MicroRNAs in serum derived neuronal exosomes as

biomarkers of acute severe stress response

Minkyoung Sung¹˙#, Soo-Eun Sung¹˙#, Kyung-Ku Kang¹, Joo-Hee Choi¹, Si-Joon Lee¹, Kil-Soo Kim¹, Min-Soo Seo¹˙*

¹Laboratory Animal Center, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation, Daegu 41061, Public of Korea

Stress is the physical and psychological tension that individual feels when faced with a situation that is difficult to
adapt. Previous studies have shown that stress alters the expression of stress hormones and then causes brain
neuroinflammation. We further analyzed the miRNAs in serum derived neuronal exosome to confirm that miRNAs

with different expression levels after exposure to acute stress can be used as stress biomarkers. First, each stress

protocol was treated to make stress animal models according to different stress severity. Next, we analyzed stress
hormones such as corticosterone, cortisol and neuron-associated inflammation marker such as BDNF, COX2, GFAP
and TNF-α according to stress severity and time. Because control and severe group were showed significant

differences among them, neuronal exosomes were isolated from serum of control and severe group. Following
exosomes isolation, NGS was performed to measure exosomal miRNA of severe group against exosomal miRNA of

control group. As a result, 13 upregulated miRNAs and 11 downregulated miRNAs were analyzed. Many studies
have shown that several miRNAs among 24 miRNAs regulate neuron and depression-associated factors. Thus, these

miRNAs in serum derived neuronal exosomes may be used as biomarkers of stress response.