Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Biotechnology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1444683

Characterization of miRNA Profiling in Konjac-Derived Exosome-Like Nanoparticles and Elucidation of their Multifaceted Roles in Human Health

Provisionally accepted
Chuan Shen Chuan Shen 1*Xia Li Xia Li 1Jianfeng Qin Jianfeng Qin 2Longfei Duan Longfei Duan 2
  • 1 Ankang University, Ankang, China
  • 2 Ankang Municipality Agricultural Science Research Institute, Ankang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (ELNs) have demonstrated cross-kingdom capabilities in regulating intercellular communication, facilitating drug delivery, and providing therapeutic interventions in humans. However, the functional attributes of konjac-derived ELNs (K-ELNs) remain largely unexplored. This study investigates the isolation, characterization, and functional analysis of K-ELNs, along with the profiling and differential expression analysis of associated miRNAs in both K-ELNs and Konjac tissues. K-ELNs were successfully isolated and characterized from two konjac species using ultracentrifugation, followed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA). Small RNA sequencing identified a total of 3,259 miRNAs across all samples. Differential expression analysis revealed significant differences in miRNA profiles between K-ELNs and tissue samples. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional enrichment analysis of target genes provided insights into their roles in modulating pathways associated with diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Additionally, six miRNAs were selected for validation of sequencing results via RT-qPCR.The 5'RLM-RACE method was employed to validate the cleavage sites between differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and their predicted target genes, further substantiating the regulatory roles of miRNAs in konjac. The findings of this study enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the biological functions and applications of K-ELNs, laying the groundwork for future research into their potential therapeutic roles in human health.

    Keywords: Konjac1, Ultracentrifugation2, Exosome-like nanoparticles3, miRNA profiling4, Human disease5

    Received: 06 Jun 2024; Accepted: 23 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Shen, Li, Qin and Duan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Chuan Shen, Ankang University, Ankang, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.