Nasibeh Karimi1, Mohammad Ali Hosseinpour Feizi1, Reza Safaralizadeh1, Shahryar Hashemzadeh2, Behzad Baradaran3, Behrooz Shokouhi4, Shahram Teimourian5. 1. Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran. 2. Department of General & Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. 3. Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical sciences, Tabriz, Iran. 4. Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. 5. Department of Medical Genetics, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogeneous group of membrane-bound vesicles with complex cargoes including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. EVs have received significant attention due to their specific features including stability under harsh conditions and involvement in cell-to-cell communication. Circulating EVs and the molecules associated with them are important in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancers. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small noncoding RNAs that have a role in regulating gene expression. Current literature shows that circulating miRNAs can be used as noninvasive biomarkers for early detection of cancers. The present study was set to investigate the potential role of serum exosomal miRNA expression levels in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and evaluate their correlation with clinicopathologic features. METHODS: Exosome-enriched fractions were isolated from the serum of 25 CRC patients and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy controls using a polymer-based precipitation method. During the pilot phase, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out on 12 CRC patients and eight healthy participants to evaluate the expression difference of 11 candidate miRNAs between CRC patients and tumor free subjects. Finally, the results were validated in a separate group, which was similar in size to the pilot group. The clinicopathologic data were also collected and the relationship between aberrant miRNA expression and clinicopathological parameters were investigated. RESULTS: There were high expressions of exosomal miR-23a and miR-301a in serum samples of CRC patients compared to normal controls in training and validation phases; these differences were not significantly correlated with clinicopathologic features. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that miR-301a and miR-23a were able to discriminate CRC patients from normal subjects. CONCLUSION: The findings provide evidence on the roles of miR-301a and miR-23a in CRC development and their potential roles as noninvasive biomarkers for early detection of CRC.
BACKGROUND: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogeneous group of membrane-bound vesicles with complex cargoes including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. EVs have received significant attention due to their specific features including stability under harsh conditions and involvement in cell-to-cell communication. Circulating EVs and the molecules associated with them are important in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancers. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small noncoding RNAs that have a role in regulating gene expression. Current literature shows that circulating miRNAs can be used as noninvasive biomarkers for early detection of cancers. The present study was set to investigate the potential role of serum exosomal miRNA expression levels in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and evaluate their correlation with clinicopathologic features. METHODS: Exosome-enriched fractions were isolated from the serum of 25 CRCpatients and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy controls using a polymer-based precipitation method. During the pilot phase, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out on 12 CRCpatients and eight healthy participants to evaluate the expression difference of 11 candidate miRNAs between CRCpatients and tumor free subjects. Finally, the results were validated in a separate group, which was similar in size to the pilot group. The clinicopathologic data were also collected and the relationship between aberrant miRNA expression and clinicopathological parameters were investigated. RESULTS: There were high expressions of exosomal miR-23a and miR-301a in serum samples of CRCpatients compared to normal controls in training and validation phases; these differences were not significantly correlated with clinicopathologic features. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that miR-301a and miR-23a were able to discriminate CRCpatients from normal subjects. CONCLUSION: The findings provide evidence on the roles of miR-301a and miR-23a in CRC development and their potential roles as noninvasive biomarkers for early detection of CRC.