An Integrated Analysis of mRNAs and miRNAs Microarray Profiles to Screen miRNA Signatures Involved in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Abstract

Objective: We aim to identify several microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs)-messenger RNAs (mRNAs) biomarkers correlated to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) based on an integrated analysis of miRNA and mRNAs microarray expression profiles. Methods: The available mRNA and miRNA microarray datasets were retrieved from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database according to pre-determined screening criteria. Differentially expressed miRNA and mRNAs (DEmiRNAs and DEmRNAs) were extracted between NPC and noncancerous nasopharyngeal tissues. The target genes of DEmiRNAs were predicted with miRTarBase followed by the construction of DEmiRNAs-target DEmRNAs network, and functional analyses were performed. The DEmiRNAs expressions were validated and the performance of these DEmiRNAs was assessed by the area under the curve (AUC) values. Finally, the correlations between DEmiRNAs and specific clinical factors were analyzed. Results: There were 1140 interaction pairs (including let-7d/f- MYC/ HMGA2 and miR-452- ITGA9) in DEmiRNAs-target DEmRNAs network. The GO annotation analysis showed that several genes such as MYC, HMGA2 and ITGA9 primarily participated in cellular process. KEGG analysis showed that these targets were associated with cell cycle and cancer-related pathways. Down-regulated let-7(-d and –f) and up-regulated miR-452 were verified in datasets. The AUC values of these 3 DEmiRNAs (let-7d, let-7-f and miR-452) was 0.803, 0.835 and 0.735, respectively. Besides, miR-452 was significantly related to survival rate of NPC patients. Conclusion: The findings implied let-7d/f- MYC/ HMGA2 and miR-452- ITGA9 might be promising targets for the detection and treatment of NPC.

miRNAs derived from circulating small extracellular vesicles as diagnostic biomarkers for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

“…a noninvasive diagnostic tool and numerous studies have reported the diagnostic capacity of total RNA in the serum or plasma of patients for NPC. 20,21 However, it should be mentioned that the free-floating circulating miRNAs and sEV-derived miRNAs in the plasma or serum are independent forms, which are distinguished from each other. A previous study identified a 5-miRNA signature for the diagnosis of NPC in serum samples, but did not observe any significant differences for any of the 5 miRNAs in serum-derived exosome samples.…”

Integrative Pan-Cancer Analysis of KIF15 Reveals Its Diagnosis and Prognosis Value in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

“…The tumorigenesis and progression of NPC are closely related to genetic factors, environmental effects, and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection ( 6 ). Advanced NPC had worse clinical outcomes due to delayed diagnosis and distant metastasis are the critical factors for treatment failure ( 7 ). Consequently, it is necessary to identify novel biomarkers and investigate the molecular mechanisms for improving early diagnosis and prognosis of NPC.…”

Identification of Key Genes in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Based on Bioinformatics Analysis

“…Liu et al identified the histological specific biomarkers of miRNAs-mRNAs related to NPC based on the comprehensive analysis of miRNAs and mRNAs microarray. The results showed that miR-452-ITGA9 was obviously related to the survival rate of NPC invalids [ 8 ].…”