and then frozen at −80 ˚C. Samples were later thawed and processed in batches of 12–24 samples for RNA extraction using the Qiagen MiRNeasy Mini (cat no. 217004) protocol, including the optional DNAse digestion step. This protocol yields total RNA that includes miRNA. Samples were quantified by nanodrop and/or the RiboGreen assay; for each sample, the RNA Integrity Number (RIN) was measured using the Agilent Bioanalyzer Eukaryotic Total RNA Nano chip.
