Abundance of Modifications in Mature miRNAs Revealed by LC-MS/MS Method Coupled with a Two-Step Hybridization Purification Strategy

Anal Chem. 2024 May 7;96(18):6870-6874. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c01326. Epub 2024 Apr 22.

Abstract

Accurate detection of endogenous miRNA modifications, such as N6-methyladenosine (m6A), 7-methylguanosine (m7G), and 5-methylcytidine (m5C), poses significant challenges, resulting in considerable uncertainty regarding their presence in mature miRNAs. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that liquid chromatography coupled with a tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) nucleoside analysis method is a practical tool for quantitatively analyzing human miRNA modifications. The newly designed liquid-solid two-step hybridization (LSTH) strategy enhances specificity for miRNA purification, while LC-MS/MS offers robust capability in recognizing modifications and sufficient sensitivity with detection limits ranging from attomoles to low femtomoles. Therefore, it provides a more reliable approach compared to existing techniques for revealing modifications in endogenous miRNAs. With this approach, we characterized m6A, m7G, and m5C modifications in miR-21-5p, Let-7a/e-5p, and miR-10a-5p isolated from cultured cells and observed unexpectedly low abundance (<1% at each site) of these modifications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Adenosine / analysis
  • Chromatography, Liquid / methods
  • Cytidine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Guanosine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Guanosine / analysis
  • Humans
  • Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • MicroRNAs* / analysis
  • Nucleic Acid Hybridization
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry* / methods

Substances

  • MicroRNAs
  • Adenosine
  • N-methyladenosine
  • 5-methylcytidine
  • Guanosine
  • 7-methylguanosine
  • Cytidine