Construction of a miRNA-mRNA Network Related to Exosomes in Colon Cancer

Abstract

Background. The competing endogenous RNA (CeRNA) network plays important roles in the occurrence and development of colon cancer. This research is aimed at constructing a miRNA-mRNA network associated with exosomes in colon cancer. Methods. We explored the GEO database and then analyzed the RNAs of 722 samples to obtain differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and mRNAs (DEGs) alongside the progress of colon cancer. Next, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis of DEM target genes and DEGs were performed. In addition, a miRNA-mRNA network related to exosomes in colon cancer was constructed based on DEMs and DEGs. Finally, the expression of miRNA and mRNA in the network was verified by GEPIA2 on the base of TCGA database. Results. Through our analysis, 19 DEMs (17 up and 2 down) and 1672 DEGs (954 up and 718 down) were screened. The GO and KEGG results show that these DEGs were mainly enriched in ribonucleoprotein complex biogenesis, noncoding RNA metabolic process, cell-substrate junction, cadherin binding, transcription coregulator activity, and regulation of the human T-cell leukemia virus 1 infection-related pathway. Besides, a miRNA-mRNA network, including 4 miRNAs (hsa-miR-623, hsa-miR-320c, hsa-miR-486-5p, and hsa-miR-1290) and 7 mRNAs (GNAI1, CADM1, PGRMC2, etc.), was constructed. Three of these seven mRNAs were downregulated in colon cancer. Ultimately, the GNAI1, CADM1, and PGRMC2 expression levels were verified by TCGA database. Conclusions. This study reveals the network relationship between colon cancer exosome-derived miRNA and targeted mRNA. It deepens our understanding of new molecular mechanisms and pathways that may play a role in the occurrence and metastasis of colon cancer.

Analysis of mRNA-miRNA interaction network reveals the role of CAFs-derived exosomes in the immune regulation of oral squamous cell carcinoma

“…Exosomes facilitate transcriptional-translational regulation and intercellular communication by serving as carriers for various nucleic acids or metabolites [ 11 ]. One of the characteristics of activated CAFs is the dysregulation of mRNAs and miRNAs, which leads to changes in the composition of CAFs-Exo as well and induces tumor resistance, invasion, and growth [ 12 – 14 ]. Previous studies have reported that miRNAs in CAFs-Exo promote proliferation and metastasis of OSCC [ 15 , 16 ].…”