Differential Expression of miRNAs Contributes to Tumor Aggressiveness and Racial Disparity in African American Men with Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Prostate cancer is the leading cancer in incidence and second leading cause of cancer mortality in US men. African American men have significantly higher incidence and mortality rates from prostate cancer than European American men. Previous studies reported that the disparity in prostate cancer survival or mortality can be explained by different biological backgrounds. microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression of their cognate mRNAs in many cancers. Therefore, miRNAs may be a potentially promising diagnostic tool. The role of miRNAs in prostate cancer aggressiveness and racial disparity has not been fully established. The goal of this study is to identify miRNAs associated with aggressiveness and racial disparity in prostate cancer. Here we report miRNAs that are associated with tumor status and aggressiveness in prostate cancer using a profiling approach. Further, downregulated miRNAs in African American tissues were confirmed by qRT-PCR. These miRNAs have also been shown to negatively regulate the expression of the androgen receptor in prostate cancer cells. This report provides a novel insight into understanding tumor aggressiveness and racial disparities of prostate cancer.

Potential of miRNAs in Plasma Extracellular Vesicle for the Stratification of Prostate Cancer in a South African Population

“…File S1: The original image of the Western Blot. References [69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84] are cited in the supplementary materials.…”

Editorial for the Special Issue on High-Risk Localized and Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer

“…Ottman et al investigated the factors involved in prostate cancer aggressiveness and racial disparity with miRNA expression studies and suggest a role for some miRNAs in prostate cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and the elimination of health disparities [ 1 ]. Diop et al report that intraductal carcinoma of the prostate, an aggressive histological subtype, showed a reduced number of infiltrated immune cells compared to the surrounding tissues and it provided different survival [ 2 ].…”