Co-sequencing and novel delayed anti-correlation identify function for pancreatic enriched microRNA biomarkers in a rat model of acute pancreatic injury

Co-sequencing of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and micro ribonucleic acid (miRNA) across a time series (1, 3, 6, 24, and 48 h post injury) was used to identify potential miRNA-gene interactions during pancreatic injury, associate serum and tissue levels of candidate miRNA biomarkers of pancreatic injury, and functionally link these candidate miRNA biomarkers to observed histopathology. RNAs were derived from pancreatic tissues obtained in experiments characterizing the serum levels of candidate miRNA biomarkers in response to acute pancreatic injury in rats.