{
  "abstract": "Extracellular RNAs (exRNAs) are emerging as potent bidirectional interkingdom effectors of host-pathogen interactions, particularly in plant and insect systems. Here, using small RNA-sequencing and genetic manipulation, we provide evidence consistent with a function of the human neutrophil exRNA-ome in modulating gene expression across kingdoms in the fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. The neutrophil extracellular space contains a diverse repertoire of RNA, which was corroborated using a droplet-digital stem-loop RT-PCR protocol to measure differential abundance of several tRNA-derived RNAs between two extracellular fractions. A closer inspection of the extracellular miRNA pool revealed enrichment of antimicrobial Let-7 family sRNAs and immunomodulatory miR-223, among others. Secretion of these sRNAs was largely impervious to infection status, suggesting that neutrophils produce and maintain an antimicrobial exRNA environment against A. fumigatus that requires further targeting. Cross-kingdom miRNA target prediction and exRNA delivery experiments revealed that putative fungal targets are modulated independently of the fungal argonaute proteins and in a donor-dependent manner. Although heterogeneous, for donors that exhibited a silencing effect, mutated target sequences in the fungus did reverse silencing. We hypothesize that the exRNA landscape produced by neutrophils contributes to their multifaceted role in antifungal defense.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology: Hans Knoell Institute"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "A. Bruch"
    },
    {
      "name": "L. Schrettenbrunner"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. Israni"
    },
    {
      "name": "E. Boehm"
    },
    {
      "name": "X. Pan"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. Visser"
    },
    {
      "name": "T. Orasch"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. A. Brakhage"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "M. G. Blango"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/29e2msa3k6w0z.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.10.19.758605",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.19.758605v1.full",
  "id": "29e2msa3k6w0z",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.19.758605v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "microbiology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Extracellular vesicles in disease"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222932491",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.19.758605v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-19",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/29e2msa3k6w0z.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:28:37Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.10.19.758605",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.19.758605v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:microbiology",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Human neutrophils release extracellular RNA that modulates Aspergillus fumigatus gene expression across kingdoms.",
  "title_text": "Human neutrophils release extracellular RNA that modulates Aspergillus fumigatus gene expression across kingdoms.",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:28:37Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/29e2msa3k6w0z",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}