Alterations in MicroRNA gene expression profile in liver transplant patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can lead to liver failure which renders to liver transplant. miRNAs might be detected as biomarkers in subclinical stage of several hepatobiliary disorders like HCC. Therefore, in the present study, alterations in miRNAs as biomarkers were detected in LT patients with HCC. Methods Fourteen tissue samples composed of 5 rejected and 9 non-rejected ones were used for studying the miRNAs expression pattern using LNA-array probe assay and the result was evaluated by in house SYBR Green Real-time PCR protocols on 30 other tissue samples composed of 10 rejected and 20 non-rejected ones for the selected miRNAs. All samples were collected from liver transplanted patients with HCC. Results The study results revealed that in rejected patients compared to non-rejected ones, hsa-miR-3158-5p, -4449, -4511, and -4633-5p were up-regulated and hsa-miR-122-3p, -194-5p, 548as-3p, and -4284 were down-regulated. ROC curve analysis also confirmed that miR194-5p and -548as-3p in up-regulated and also, miR-3158-5p, -4449 in down-regulated microRNAs are significantly important molecules in rejection. Conclusion Finally, the tissue levels of specific miRNAs (especially hsa-miR-3158-5p, -4449, -194-5p and -548as-3p) significantly correlated with the development of HCC, which can be present as biomarkers after further completing studies.

Profiling of microRNAs by next-generation sequencing: Potential biomarkers for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

“…Therefore, this miRNA might be used as a therapeutic target. A significant correlation between hsa-mir-4449 and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma and gastric cancer has been reported, 37 , 38 whereas miR-142 has tumor-suppressing properties against hepatocellular, colon, lung, and breast carcinoma. 39 Downregulation of hsa-mir-877 in an osteosarcoma cell line and tissues has been observed.…”

New Approaches to the Diagnosis of Rejection and Prediction of Tolerance in Liver Transplantation

“…They found that miR-194-5p and miR-548as-3p are significantly upregulated, whereas miR-3158-5p and miR-4449 are significantly downregulated in patients experiencing rejection when compared with stable adults. 73 Conversely, Zhang et al 8 revealed that miR-18b-340 and miR-106b were upregulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of long-term, stable LT recipients relative to both healthy adults without LT and recipients experiencing rejection. Early successes with miRNAs may stem from their roles in allograft injury pathways, including causative and signaling functions.…”

Identifying Network Biomarkers in Early Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via miRNA–Gene Interaction Network Analysis

“…In the field of molecular biology, miRNA in regulating cancer pathogenesis has been a major achievement over the past decade [ 9 ]. This type of RNA comprises nearly 5% of transcriptome and regulates approximately 25% of genes in humans [ 10 ]. The miRNA can inversely modulate gene expression via directly inducing messenger RNA degradation by base pairing with complementary sites in the 3′-untranslated regions.…”