Exosomal miRNA Expression Profiling

The miRNA expression profiles were determined with a TaqMan miRNA Array Human Card A (Thermo Fisher Sciences, Waltham, MA, USA). Quantitative RT-PCR was performed on an Applied Biosystem 7900 HT thermocycler, in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommended program [31 (link)]. Using SDS2.2 software and Data Assist (version 3.01, Thermo Fisher Sciences, Waltham, MA, USA), the expression of exosomal miRNAs was calculated based on cycle threshold (Ct) values normalized by those of ath-miR-159, which was spiked in each exosomal sample. Data analysis was performed using GeneSpring^® software (Version 12.1, Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA, USA) and R software (https://www.r-project.org, accessed on 27 Arpil 2017). The Benjamini–Hochberg algorithm was used for the estimation of false discovery rates, as we reported previously [31 (link)].