Association between the expression of four upregulated miRNAs and extrathyroidal invasion in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Abstract

BackgroundMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important diagnostic and prognostic markers in cancer. In the study reported here, we analyzed the potential relationship between miRNA expression and extrathyroidal invasion in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).MethodsSamples from 91 patients with PTC were collected from January 2008 to April 2012 at our hospital. To detect the levels of miRNA expression in fresh frozen tissues from patients with extrathyroidal invasion (n = 3) and non-extrathyroidal invasion (n = 3), miRNA array was carried out. The upregulated miRNAs between the two groups were confirmed by using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.ResultsThe levels of miR-146b, miR-221, miR-222, and miR-135b were significantly higher in the extrathyroidal invasion group than in the non-extrathyroidal invasion group (P = 0.001, 0.019, 0.004, and 0.006, respectively). In addition, the miR-146b expression level was significantly higher in the massive extrathyroidal invasion group than in the minimal extrathyroidal invasion group (P = 0.016). The expression levels of miR-146b, miR-222, and miR-135b were significantly associated with tumor size (P = 0.018, 0.008, and 0.024, respectively). The upregulation of miR-146b and miR-222 was significantly associated with higher tumor-node-metastasis stage (P = 0.004 and 0.0001, respectively). The expression level of miR-222 was also correlated with age and sex (P = 0.048 and 0.002, respectively).ConclusionOur results reveal that the expression of four miRNAs correlated with extrathyroidal invasion and other clinicopathologic features in PTCs, which may support their potential clinical value as prognostic biomarkers for PTCs.

miR-584 Suppresses Invasion and Cell Migration of Thyroid Carcinoma by Regulating the Target Oncogene <b><i>ROCK1</i></b>

“…Many kinds of miRNAs have been identified to play roles in papillary carcinoma progression, such as miR-146 [11,12,13,14], miR-221 [11,12], miR-222 [11,12,13,15], miR-181 [11], miR-135 [12], miR-196 [14], miR-499 [14], let-7a [15,16], miR-146-5p [16,17], miR-335 [17], miR-451 [18], miR-2861 [18] and miR-375 [19], with up- or down-regulated expression levels. In spite of this, little is known of the role of miRNAs in suppressing invasion and migration of TC, let alone their functions and mechanisms of action.…”

Association of BRAFV600E Mutation and MicroRNA Expression with Central Lymph Node Metastases in Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Prospective Study from Four Endocrine Surgery Centers

“…They regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by binding to imperfectly complementary sequences within target mRNAs, often in the 3¢-untranslated regions, thereby leading to degradation or translational suppression (32). Although definitive studies are currently lacking, miRs may nevertheless have potential as prognostic indicators in PTC, thereby optimizing the surgical management of patients with PTC (28,(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44).…”

An update on molecular biology of thyroid cancers

“…A recent study demonstrated that miR-146b could cause thyroid cancer development by regulating TGF-␤ signaling, although the mechanisms of miR-146b-mediated tumor behavior in PTC are largely unknown [150]. There were also significant increases in expression levels of miR-146b, miR-221, miR-222 and miR-135b in samples of PTC patients with extrathyroidal invasion [151].…”

“…There are several studies reporting overexpression of miRNAs including miR-222, miR-221, and miR-146b in PTC and these miRNAs may be of diagnostic potential [143][144][145][146][147][148][149][150][151]. In a recent study, a panel of seven miRNAs was used in thyroid FNAB samples [223].…”