LAUSR

Purpose Congenital hydrocephalus is one of the most common birth defects worldwide. Exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) in body fluids have been implicated in many diseases. However, their involvement in cerebrospinal fluid from congenital hydrocephalus is not well understood. This study is aimed at investigating the role of dysregulated exosomal miRNAs in congenital hydrocephalus. Methods We collected cerebrospinal fluid samples from 15 congenital hydrocephalus patients and 21 control subjects. We used miRNA sequencing to generate exosomal miRNA expression profiles in three pairs of samples. We identified 31 differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs in congenital hydrocephalus and predicted their target mRNAs. Results Three microRNAs (hsa-miR-130b-3p, hsa-miR-501-5p, and hsa-miR-2113) were selected according to their fold changes and the function of their target mRNAs, and only hsa-miR-130b-3p and hsa-miR-501-5p were confirmed their expression levels in all samples. Moreover, upregulated hsa-miR-130b-3p might mediate the downregulation of the phosphatase and tensin homolog gene (PTEN), which has been associated with hydrocephalus, via binding to its 3′-untranslated region by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Conclusion This study implicates that abnormally expressed exosomal miRNAs in cerebrospinal fluid may be involved in the pathomechanism of congenital hydrocephalus.