Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is one of the most prevalent primary glomerular disease. Non-invasive biomarkers are urgently needed for IgAN diagnosis. We investigate the difference in expression profiles of exosomal long non-coding-RNAs (lncRNAs) in plasma from IgAN patients compared with their healthy first-degree relatives, which may reveal novel noninvasive IgAN biomarkers. Methods: Exosomes were isolated from the plasma of IgAN patients and their healthy first-degree relatives.

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... roughput RNA sequencing and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to validate lncRNA expression profiles. Pathway enrichment analysis was used to predict their nearest protein-coding genes. Results: lncRNA-G21551 was significantly down-regulated in IgAN patients. The nearest proteincoding gene was found to be encoding the low affinity receptor of the Fc segment of immunoglobulin G (FCGR3B). Conclusion: Exosomal lncRNA-G21551, with FCGR3B as the nearest protein-coding gene, was down-regulated in IgAN patients, indicating its potential to serve as a non-invasive biomarker for IgAN.