Characterization of nucleic acids from extracellular vesicle-enriched human sweat.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Genomics
• Microbiology

Background:

• Human sweat is a complex fluid secreted by eccrine, apocrine, and sebaceous glands.
• While nucleic acids are found in most body fluids, their presence in sweat has not been previously investigated.
• Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are known to carry nucleic acids in various body fluids.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and characterize the nucleic acids present in sweat particles.
• To investigate the potential of sweat as a source of biomarkers.

Main Methods:

• Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was employed to analyze DNA and RNA.
• Samples of extracellular vesicle (EV)-enriched sweat were collected from volunteers during strenuous exercise.
• Pooled and individual sweat samples were analyzed.

Main Results:

• DNA from all human chromosomes was detected, with high coverage of the mitochondrial chromosome.
• Significant portions of DNA mapped to unannotated genomic regions and microbial genomes (bacteria, archaea, viruses).
• RNA analysis revealed a high proportion of transfer RNA (tRNA), with smaller amounts of other RNA types, including microRNA (miRNA).

Conclusions:

• Sweat contains a rich variety of nucleic acids from both human and microbial sources.
• These findings establish sweat as a potential source for novel health biomarker discovery.
• Further research into sweat biomarkers could offer new diagnostic possibilities.