ExomiRHub: A comprehensive database for hosting and analyzing human disease-related extracellular microRNA...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Informatics
• Genomics
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Extracellular microRNA (miRNA) expression data exhibit significant heterogeneity across studies, hindering analysis for biologists lacking bioinformatics expertise.
• Standardized and curated datasets are crucial for reliable miRNA biomarker discovery and interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a user-friendly database, ExomiRHub, integrating diverse extracellular miRNA expression datasets for biological researchers.
• To provide comprehensive analytical tools for exploring miRNA expression patterns and identifying potential biomarkers.

Main Methods:

• Integrated 191 human extracellular miRNA expression datasets (112 diseases, 62 treatments, 24 genotypes) and 16,012 miRNA transcriptomes from The Cancer Genome Atlas.
• Standardized and curated all data with annotations.
• Developed 25 analytical functions including differential expression, co-expression, Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), and functional enrichment analysis.
• Integrated a web service for user data analysis and four additional miRNA-focused tools.

Main Results:

• ExomiRHub incorporates extensive extracellular miRNA data, covering numerous disease phenotypes, treatments, and genotypes.
• The platform offers advanced analytical capabilities, enabling customized data exploration and biomarker identification.
• Successfully identified extracellular miRNA biomarkers associated with angiogenesis for monitoring glioma progression.

Conclusions:

• ExomiRHub significantly simplifies the analysis of complex extracellular miRNA expression data for biologists.
• The database and its tools have the potential to accelerate the discovery and validation of extracellular miRNA biomarkers for various diseases.
• Facilitates research in extracellular miRNA biomarker discovery, aiding in disease monitoring and progression assessment.