Affiliations: [a] Faculty of Advanced Medical Technologies, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran | [b] Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran | [c] Department of Pathology, Haartman Institute, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland | [d] Metabolic Disorders Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran | [e] Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran | [f] Liver and Pancreatobiliary Disease Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Sakari Knuutila, Laboratory of Cytomolecular Genetics, Department of Pathology, Haartman Institute and HUSLAB, P.O.Box 21 (Haartmaninkatu 3), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. Tel.: +358 9191 26 527; Fax: +358 9191 26 675; E-mail: Sakari.Knuutila@helsinki.fi.
Abstract: Background:Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer-related deaths world-wide. Detection of molecular markers in stool samples is a promising strategy for CRC screening. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNA molecules that are commonly dysregulated in neoplasia. Objective:The objective of this study was to evaluate the fecal miRNAs differentiation between early-stage CRC patients and healthy subjects. Methods:Stool samples were collected from 40 patients with early stage (I, II) CRC and 16 healthy controls. RNA was extracted from all samples using miRNAeasy Mini Kits. MiRNA microarray expression profiling was performed with Agilent’s miRNA Microarray system on 12 CRC and 8 normal stool samples. The expression levels of miR-4478 and miR-1295b-3p were determined by the SYBR Green miScript PCR system. Results:In profiling study, we found 215 down-regulated miRNAs in CRC group. Furthermore, in validation study we found that the expression levels of fecal miR-4487 and miR-1295b-3p were significantly decreased in CRC patients compared to healthy controls. Conclusions:The expression of miR-4478 and miR-1295b-3p were significantly diminished in stool samples of CRC patients with early stage (I, II) in comparison with normal group. These miRNAs maybe use as potential non-invasive molecular markers for CRC diagnosis, but further studies are needed.
