The title of the paper is “Small tRNA-derived RNAs are increased and more abundant than microRNAs in chronic hepatitis B and C.” Sara is a BCB graduate student who is co-mentored by Praveen Sethupathy and Stan Lemon (Department of Medicine).
In this study, Selitsky et al. identify for the first time in human tissue the presence of a class of small RNAs derived from tRNAs. They find that tRNA-derived RNAs are even more abundant than microRNAs in the liver of patients chronically infected with hepatitis B or C, and that they are dysregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma. These findings open a new field of study that may suggest new approaches for diagnosis and treatment of chronic liver diseases