Transcriptome analysis of cervical cancer exosomes and detection of HPVE6*I transcripts in exosomal RNA

Background Exosomes play a key role in cell-to-cell communication and are integral component of the tumor microenvironment. Recent observations suggest transfer of RNA through tumor-derived exosomes that can potentially translate into regulatory proteins in the recipient cells. Role of cervical cancer-derived exosomes and their transcript cargo is poorly understood. Materials and methods The total RNA of exosomes from HPV-positive (SiHa and HeLa) and HPV-negative (C33a) cervical cancer cell lines were extracted and the transcripts were estimated using Illumina HiSeq X. Further, validation of HPV transcripts were performed using RT-PCR. Results 3099 transcripts were found to be differentially-exported in HPV-positive vs. HPV-negative exosomes (p value Conclusion Our data suggests the enrichment of poly-A RNA transcripts in the exosomal cargo of cervical cancer cells, which includes pro-tumorigenic cellular RNA and viral transcripts such as HPV E6, which may have clinical utility as potential exosomal biomarkers of cervical cancer.