Profiling of Circulating microRNAs in Prostate Cancer Reveals Diagnostic Biomarker Potential (original) (raw)

Challenges in Cancer Biomarker Discovery Exemplified by the Identification of Diagnostic MicroRNAs in Prostate Tissues

BioMed Research International, 2020

Identification and clinical translation of routinely tested biomarkers require a complex and multistep workflow. Here, we described a confirmatory process estimating the utility of previously identified candidate tissue miRNAs for diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa). RNA was isolated from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) prostate tissue surgically resected from 44 patients with PCa and 24 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Of the 92 RNA samples obtained, 68 represented 42 malignant (PCa) areas and 26 represented nonmalignant (PCa 0%) areas of the prostate tissue sections. The levels of miR-32-5p, miR-183-5p, miR-141-5p, miR-187-3p, miR-375, miR-663b, miR-615-3p, miR-205-5p, miR-221-3p, and miR-222-3p were evaluated using Exiqon chemistry. Five (miR-32-5p, miR-141-5p, miR-187-3p, miR-375, and miR-615-3p), one (miR-32-5p), and two (miR-32-5p and miR-141-5p) miRNAs discriminated between BPH and areas of cancer-bearing prostate tissue harboring different numbers of c...

A Circulating MicroRNA Signature as a Biomarker for Prostate Cancer in a High Risk Group

Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2015

Introduction: Mi(cro)RNAs are small non-coding RNAs whose differential expression in tissue has been implicated in the development and progression of many malignancies, including prostate cancer. The discovery of miRNAs in the blood of patients with a variety of malignancies makes them an ideal, novel biomarker for prostate cancer diagnosis. The aim of this study was to identify a unique expression profile of circulating miRNAs in patients with prostate cancer attending a rapid access prostate assessment clinic. Methods: To conduct this study blood and tissue samples were collected from 102 patients (75 with biopsy confirmed cancer and 27 benign samples) following ethical approval and informed consent. These patients were attending a prostate assessment clinic. Samples were reverse-transcribed using stem-loop primers and expression levels of each of 12 candidate miRNAs were determined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. miRNA expression levels were then correlated with clinicopathological data and subsequently analysed using qBasePlus software and Minitab. Results: Circulating miRNAs were detected and quantified in all subjects. The analysis of miRNA mean expression levels revealed that four miRNAs were significantly dysregulated, including let-7a (p = 0.005) which has known tumour suppressor characteristics, along with miR-141

Circulating microRNAs as potential new biomarkers for prostate cancer

British journal of cancer, 2013

Since they were first described in the 1990s, circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have provided an active and rapidly evolving area of current research that has the potential to transform cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. In particular, miRNAs could provide potential new biomarkers for prostate cancer, the most common cause of cancer in UK men. Current diagnostic tests for prostate cancer have low specificity and poor sensitivity. Further, although many prostate cancers are so slow growing as not to pose a major risk to health, there is currently no test to distinguish between these and cancers that will become aggressive and life threatening. Circulating miRNAs are highly stable and are both detectable and quantifiable in a range of accessible bio fluids, thus have the potential to be useful diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers. This review aims to summarise the current understanding of circulating miRNAs in prostate cancer patients and their potential role as biomarkers.

Circulating microRNA signature for the diagnosis of very high-risk prostate cancer

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2016

We report the identification of a molecular signature using the Scano-miR profiling platform based on the differential expression of circulating microRNAs (miRNA, miR) in serum samples specific to patients with very high-risk (VHR) prostate cancer (PCa). Five miRNA PCa biomarkers (miR-200c, miR-605, miR-135a*, miR-433, and miR-106a) were identified as useful for differentiating indolent and aggressive forms of PCa. All patients with VHR PCa in the study had elevated serum levels of miR-200c. Circulating miR-433, which was differentially expressed in patients with VHR versus low-risk (LR) forms of PCa, was not detectable by quantitative real-time PCR in samples from healthy volunteers. In blind studies, the five miRNA PCa biomarkers were able to differentiate patients with VHR PCas from those with LR forms as well as healthy individuals with at least 89% accuracy. Biological pathway analysis showed the predictive capability of these miRNA biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of...

Identification of microRNA signature and potential pathway targets in prostate cancer

Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.), 2016

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common and the second leading cause of cancer-related death among American men. Early diagnosis is a prerequisite to improving therapeutic benefits. However, the current clinical biomarkers for PC do not reliably decipher indolent PC from other urogenital disorders. Thus, effective clinical intervention necessitates development of new biomarkers for early detection of PC. The present study aimed to identify the miRNA signature in organ-confined (Gleason Score 6) prostate tumors. MicroRNA (miRNA/miR) array analysis identified 118 upregulated and 73 downregulated miRNAs in microdissected tumors in comparison to matched neighboring normal prostate epithelium. The miRs-Plus-A1083, -92b-5p, -18a-3p, -19a-3p, -639, -3622b-3p, -3189-3p, -155-3p, -410, -1179, 548b-5p, and -4469 are predominantly expressed (7-11-fold), whereas miRs-595, 4490, -3120-5p, -1299, -21-5p, -3677-3, -let-7b-5p, -5189, 3-121-5p, -4518, -200a-5p, -3682-5p, -3689d, -3149 represent the ...

MicroRNAs as biomarkers in prostate cancer: A mini review

International Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Research, 2023

Among men one of the most common cancers identified globally is prostate cancer. Although the serum prostate specific antigen remains important for prognosis and diagnosis, the PSA assay is not highly accurate. In the search for improved minimally invasive methods as a biomarker, the expression patterns of circulating miRNAs have a potential importance and are emerging as a promising candidate as prognostic markers for prostate cancer. Keywords: Prostate cancer, miRNAs, Biomarkers.

MicroRNAs as Biomarkers for Diagnosis, Prognosis and Theranostics in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PC) includes several phenotypes, from indolent to highly aggressive cancer. Actual diagnostic and prognostic tools have several limitations, and there is a need for new biomarkers to stratify patients and assign them optimal therapies by taking into account potential genetic and epigenetic differences. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small sequences of non-coding RNA regulating specific genes involved in the onset and development of PC. Stable miRNAs have been found in biofluids, such as serum and plasma; thus, the measurement of PC-associated miRNAs is emerging as a non-invasive tool for PC detection and monitoring. In this study, we conduct an in-depth literature review focusing on miRNAs that may contribute to the diagnosis and prognosis of PC. The role of miRNAs as a potential theranostic tool in PC is discussed. Using a meta-analysis approach, we found a group of 29 miRNAs with diagnostic properties and a group of seven miRNAs with prognostic properties, which were found already expressed in both biofluids and PC tissues. We tested the two miRNA groups on The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset of PC tissue samples with a machine-learning approach. Our results suggest that these 29 miRNAs should be considered as potential panel of biomarkers for the diagnosis of PC, both as in vivo non-invasive test and ex vivo confirmation test.

Blood‑based microRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers to discriminate localized prostate cancer from benign prostatic hyperplasia and allow cancer‑risk stratification

Oncology Letters, 2018

In addition, the expression of the four miRNAs was lower in high-risk PCa patients than in low-risk PCa patients, with miR-126 being the most downregulated. The expression of the four miRNAs was also significantly and independently associated with PCa. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed a significant ability of the miRNAs to distinguish patients with PCa from those with BPH, patients with PCa from controls and low-risk PCa from high-risk PCa. These data suggested that expression of these miRNAs in the blood circulation may be promising, non-invasive biomarkers for the early detection of localized PCa, and for PCa risk stratification. Further validations of the clinical implementation of these results are warranted in a larger cohort.

Recent scenario of microRNA as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of prostate cancer

Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations, 2017

Prostate cancer (CaP) is a leading cause of cancer death and displays a broad range of clinical behavior from relatively indolent to aggressive metastatic disease. Due to the alteration and incomplete characterization of the CaP genomic markers, the quest for novel cellular metabolic regulatory molecules like micro RNA (miRNA) as a biomarker could be considered for the prognosis and treatment of CaP in future. In this article, we review the existing literature pertaining to CaP. Study provides a comprehensive miRNA profile expressed in CaP. Beside the miRNA expressed in the tumor tissue, circulating miRNAs have been found highly stable and are both detectable and quantifiable in a range of accessible bio fluids; therefore, miRNA has the potential to be useful diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarker. Along with being an important molecule in modulation of CaP progression, the miRNA have certain limitations such as lack of stable expression of multiple target genes and often disrupt entire signaling networks of cellular metabolic pathways. We conclude that: The alteration of miRNA and their role played in cellular regulatory networks would be the next target of basic research in CaP. The miRNAs identified may be validated and modeled to understand their role in CaP, using bioinformatics. There is an immediate unmet need in the translational approach of identified miRNAs. The characterization of miRNAs involved in CaP is still incomplete: adequate validation studies are required to corroborate current results.

MicroRNA Dysregulation in Prostate Cancer

Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine, 2022

Prostate cancer biology is complex, and needs to be deciphered. The latest evidence reveals the significant role of noncoding RNAs, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), as key regulatory factors in cancer. Therefore, the identification of altered miRNA patterns involved in prostate cancer will allow them to be used for development of novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Patients and Methods: We performed a miRNAs transcriptomic analysis, using microarray (10 matched pairs tumor tissue versus normal adjacent tissue, selected based on inclusion criteria), followed by overlapping with TCGA data. A total of 292 miRNAs were differentially expressed, with 125 upregulated and 167 downregulated in TCGA patients' cohort with PRAD (prostate adenocarcinoma), respectively for the microarray experiments; 16 upregulated and 44 downregulated miRNAs were found in our cohort. To confirm our results obtained for tumor tissue, we performed validation with qRT-PCR at the tissue and plasma level of two selected transcripts, and finally, we focused on the identification of altered miRNAs involved in key biological processes. Results: A common signature identified a panel of 12 upregulated and 1 downregulated miRNA, targeting and interconnected in a network with the TP53, AGO2, BIRC5 gene and EGFR as a core element. Among this signature, the overexpressed transcripts (miR-20b-5p, miR-96-5p, miR-183-5p) and the downregulated miR-542-5p were validated by qRT-PCR in an additional patients' cohort of 34 matched tumor and normal adjacent paired samples. Further, we performed the validation of the expression level for miR-20b-5p, miR-96-5p, miR-183-5p plasma, on the same patients' cohort versus a healthy control group, confirming the overexpression of these transcripts in the PRAD group, demonstrating the liquid biopsy as a potential investigational tool in prostate cancer. Conclusion: In this pilot study, we provide evidence on miRNA dysregulation and its association with key functional components of the PRAD landscape, where an important role is acted by miR-20b-5p, miR-542-5p, or the oncogenic cluster miR-183-96-182.