Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to screen the microRNA expression file in Uighur population, which would supply research data for further exploring the relationship of microRNA and molecular mechanism of hypertension. Methods Whole blood samples were taken from 4 hypertension patients and 4 health people from Uighur population. MicroRNA expression profile was tested by using Agilent Human miRNA array. Clustering analysis and target gene annotation were performed on differentially expressed microRNAs. Another 30subjects were sampled independently (15 from hypertension patients and 15 from healthy people) andthe differentially expressed microRNAs were validated by quantitative PCR. Results Compared microRNA profiles of the two groups, 257 differentially expressed microRNAs were filtered, in which 161 were up-regulated and 97 were down-regulated. Target genes were predicted in three database, that is, TargetScan, PITA and microRNAorg. 6’580 target genes were obtained by computing the intersection of three databases.Hsa-miR-1183 was the most up-regulated and hsa-miR-30e-5p was the most down-regulated microRNA in hypertension patients. Conclusions microRNA expression profile of Experimentalgroup was different from the control group. Differentially expressed microRNAs would be potential biomarkers for diagnosis or therapy. This study supplied a foundation for exploring the mechanism of essential hypertension.

Key words: essential hypertension, microRNAs, microRNA expression profile, target genes