Long Noncoding RNA NEAT1 as a Potential Candidate Biomarker for Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality in men worldwide, mainly due to unsatisfactory diagnostic methods used at present, which lead to overdiagnosis, unnecessary biopsies and treatment, or misdiagnosis in early asymptomatic stages. New diagnostic biomarkers are needed for a correct and early diagnosis. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been broadly studied for their involvement in PCa biology, as well as for their potential role as diagnostic biomarkers. Methods: We conducted lncRNA profiling in plasma and microdissected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues of PCa patients and attempted validation for commonly dysregulated individual lncRNAs. Results: Plasma profiling revealed eight dysregulated lncRNAs, while microarray analysis revealed 717 significantly dysregulated lncRNAs, out of which only nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) was commonly upregulated in plasma samples and FFPE tissues. NEAT1’s individual validation revealed statistically significant upregulation (FC = 2.101, p = 0.009). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.7298 for NEAT1 (95% CI = 0.5812–0.8785), suggesting a relatively high diagnostic value, thus having a potential biomarker role for this malignancy. Conclusions: We present herein data suggesting that NEAT1 could serve as a diagnostic biomarker for PCa. Additional studies of larger cohorts are needed to confirm our findings, as well as the oncogenic mechanism of NEAT1 in the development of PCa.

(In)Distinctive Role of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Common and Rare Ovarian Cancers

“…NEAT1 knockdown enhanced the sensitivity of cells to PTX through the miR-194/ZEB1 axis [216]. The potential of NEAT1 as a possible diagnostic marker has been proposed in several cancers, such as prostate [217] and breast [218]. For EOC, a serum biomarker panel that combines gene and protein expression was proposed as a method for early detection of EOC, and NEAT1 is one of the proposed lncRNA in this panel [219].…”

Expression and Clinical Significance of lncRNA NEAT1 in Patients with Spinal Tuberculosis

“…There are two subtypes of lncRNA NEAT1, namely, NEAT1_1 (3.7 kb) and NEAT1_2 (23 kb) [ 21 ]. Nitusca et al reported that NEAT1 could serve as a diagnostic biomarker for prostate cancer [ 22 ]. LncRNA NEAT1 is also essential in immune regulation [ 23 ].…”