Abstract
Cigarette smoking is acknowledged as the most preventable risk factor for thrombogenesis-associated cardiovascular disease. Mice prenatally exposed to the thirdhand smoke (THS) form of tobacco exhibited a higher tendency to develop occlusive thrombosis, along with enhancement of several platelet functional responses. Our objective was to investigate whether prenatal (in utero) THS exposure impacts the platelet transcriptome, resulting in enhanced platelet functional responses, thereby underlying THS-associated thrombogenicity. Blood samples obtained from twenty male mice prenatally exposed to THS, along with an equal number of age-matched male mice exposed to clean air (CA) as a control, were divided into pools of five animals and used to prepare leukocyte and red blood cell-depleted platelets. RNA sequencing for mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) was utilized to analyze and compare the platelet expression profiles of the two exposure groups. RNA seq analyses revealed distinct changes in both gene expression and miRNA profiles, with 448 coding genes and 18 miRNAs significantly altered between the two groups. miRNA-mRNA interaction analysis highlighted 14 differentially expressed miRNAs that potentially target 120 of the differentially expressed genes in our data set. Interestingly, altered genes in miRNA-mRNA pairs were functionally enriched into pathways associated with platelet physiology, including platelet activation, signaling and aggregation, and cellular response to chemical stimuli. Our findings establish-for the first time-that prenatal exposure to THS modifies the platelet transcriptome, thereby rendering platelets hypersensitive to stimuli and more prone to thrombogenicity. Additionally, we illuminate the coordinated function of platelet miRNA and mRNA targets in mediating this response.