Microparticles: major transport vehicles for distinct microRNAs in circulation

Authors

Philipp Diehl•Daniel Duerschmied•Karlheinz Peter

Published

January 18, 2012

Abstract

AimsCirculating microRNAs (miRNAs) have attracted major interest as biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases. Since RNases are abundant in circulating blood, there needs to be a mechanism protecting miRNAs from degradation. We hypothesized that microparticles (MP) represent protective transport vehicles for miRNAs and that these are specifically packaged by their maternal cells.