Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are mammalian cell-derived nano-scale structures enclosed by a lipid bilayer that were previously considered to be cell debris with little biological value. However, EVs are now recognized to possess biological function, acting as a packaging, transport and delivery mechanisms by which functional molecules (i.e., miRNAs) can be transferred to target cells over some distance. To examine the miRNA from keratinocyte-derived EVs, we isolated three distinct populations of EVs from both HaCaT and primary human keratinocytes (PKCs) and characterized their biophysical, biochemical and functional features by using microscopy, immunoblotting, nanoparticle tracking, and next generation sequencing. We identified 1,048; 906; and 704 miRNAs, respectively, in apoptotic bodies (APs), microvesicles (MVs) and exosomes (EXs) released from HaCaT, and 608; 506; and 622 miRNAs in APs, MVs and EXs released from PKCs. In which, there were 623 and 437 identified miRNAs common to three HaCaT-derived EVs and PKC-derived EVs, respectively. In addition, we found hundreds of exosomal miRNAs that were previously un-reported. Differences in the abundance levels of the identified EV miRNAs could discriminate between the three EV populations. These data contribute substantially to knowledge within the EV-identified miRNA database, especially with regard to keratinocyte-derived EV miRNA content.