Extracellular or cell-free RNAs (exRNAs) derived from biofluids are utilized in biomarker studies to study health and diseases. Here, we present a protocol for total RNA sequencing analysis of blood plasma exRNA using the Switching Mechanism At 5' end of RNA Template (SMART) cDNA synthesis technology. We describe all steps, from blood plasma preparation to sequencing data analysis. In addition to blood plasma, this protocol can also be applied to exRNA purified from other human, murine, and rat biofluids. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Decruyenaere et al.
Decock et al. (Mon,) studied this question.