Prognostic value of combined and individual expression of microRNA-1290 and its target gene nuclear factor I/X in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Affiliations: Department of Gastroenterology, Huai’an First People’s Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Huai’an, Jiangsu 223300, China
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Tian-Heng Ma, Department of Gastroenterology, Huai’an First People’s Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Huai’an, Jiangsu 223300, China. Tel.: +86 517 84952301; Fax: +86 517 84952301; E-mail: tianhengma258@126.com.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: microRNA (miR)-1290 was previously indicated to promote esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) progression via regulating its target gene nuclear factor I/X (NFIX). OBJECTIVE: To investigate clinical significance of miR-1290 and NFIX in ESCC. METHODS: Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to detect miR-1290 and NFIX mRNA expression in ESCC tissues. Associations of miR-1290 and/or NFIX mRNA expression with various clinicopathological features and prognosis in ESCC patients were statistically evaluated. RESULTS: Compared to noncancerous esophageal mucosa, miR-1290 expression was upregulated, while NFIX mRNA expression was downregulated in ESCC tissues. There was a significantly negative correlation between miR-1290 and NFIX expression in ESCC tissues (r=-0.427, P= 0.01). Interestingly, miR-1290-high and/or NFIX-low expression were all significantly associated with positive lymph node metastasis and advanced tumor-node-metastasis stage of ESCC patients (all P< 0.05). Moreover, miR-1290 upregulation and NFIX downregulation both correlated short overall and disease-free survivals of ESCC patients. Importantly, the prognostic value of combined miR-1290 and NFIX expression was more significant than those considered alone. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the dysregulation of miR-1290-NFIX axis may play crucial roles in esophageal carcinogenesis and progression. We also confirmed miR-1290 and its target gene NFIX as independent prognostic factors for ESCC patients.
