@article{3033274,
    title = "lncRNA NORAD is consistently detected in breastmilk exosomes and its
expression is downregulated in mothers of preterm infants",
    author = "Mourtzi, Niki and Siahanidou, Tania and Tsifintaris, Margaritis and and Karamichali, Eirini and Tasiopoulou, Androniki and Sertedaki, Amalia and and Pesmatzoglou, Margarita and Kapetanaki, Anastasia and Liosis, George and and Baltatzis, George and Vlachakis, Dimitrios and Chrousos, George P. and and Giannakakis, Antonis",
    journal = "International Journal of Molecular Medicine",
    year = "2021",
    volume = "48",
    number = "6",
    publisher = "SPANDIDOS PUBL LTD",
    issn = "1107-3756, 1791-244X",
    doi = "10.3892/ijmm.2021.5049",
    keywords = "breastmilk; exosomes; long non-coding RNAs; preterm birth; non-coding
RNA activated at DNA damage",
    abstract = "Breast milk is the ideal food for infants and undoubtedly has immediate
and long-term benefits. Breast milk contains extracellular vesicles
(EVs) i.e., exosomes secreted by maternal breast cells. Exosomes carry
genetic material, such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which possibly
participate in cell-to-cell communications, as they are known to
regulate critical gene pathways. The aim of the present study was to
screen human breastmilk exosomes for their lncRNA cargo and to examine
exosomal lncRNA levels associated with milk obtained from mothers that
gave birth at term or prematurely (<37 weeks of gestation). Samples were
collected at 3 weeks postpartum from 20 healthy, breastfeeding mothers;
10 mothers had given birth at full-term and 10 mothers preterm. Exosomal
RNA was extracted from all samples and the expression of 88 distinct
lncRNAs was determined using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. A
total of 13 lncRNAs were detected in >= 85% of the samples, while 31
were detected in >= 50% of the samples. Differential expression
analysis of the lncRNAs between the two groups revealed >= 2-fold
differences, with generally higher lncRNA concentrations found in the
milk of the mothers that gave birth at term compared with those that
gave birth preterm. Among these, the non-coding RNA activated at DNA
damage (NORAD) was prominently detected in both groups, and its
expression was significantly downregulated in the breast milk exosomes
of mothers who delivered preterm. On the whole, the present study
demonstrates that breast milk lncRNAs may be important factors of normal
early human development. Collectively, the presence of lncRNAs in human
breast milk may explain the consistent inability of researchers to fully
‘humanize’ animal milk."
}