Identification and validation of new cancer stem cell-related genes and their regulatory microRNAs in colorectal cancerogenesis

Urh, Kristian (author), Žlajpah, Margareta (author), Zidar, Nina (author), Boštjančič, Emanuela (author)

Significant progress has been made in the last decade in our understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms of colorectal cancer (CRC). Cancer stem cells (CSC) have gained much attention and are now believed to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of various cancers, including CRC. In the current study, we validated gene expression of four genes related to CSC, L1TD1, SLITRK6, ST6GALNAC1 and TCEA3, identified in a previous bioinformatics analysis. Using bioinformatics, potential miRNA-target gene correlations were prioritized. In total, 70 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsy samples from 47 patients with adenoma, adenoma with early carcinoma and CRC without and with lymph node metastases were included. The expression of selected genes and microRNAs (miRNAs) was evaluated using quantitative PCR. Differential expression of all investigated genes and four of six prioritized miRNAs (hsa-miR-199a-3p, hsa-miR-335-5p, hsa-miR-425-5p, hsa-miR-1225-3p, hsa-miR-1233-3p and hsa-miR-1303) was found in at least one group of CRC cancerogenesis. L1TD1, SLITRK6, miR-1233-3p and miR-1225-3p were correlated to the level of malignancy. A negative correlation between miR-199a-3p and its predicted target SLITRK6 was observed, showing potential for further experimental validation in CRC. Our results provide further evidence that CSC-related genes and their regulatory miRNAs are involved in CRC development and progression and suggest that some them, particularly miR-199a-3p and its SLITRK6 target gene, are promising for further validation in CRC.

• Language: English
• Keywords: colorectal cancer, differentially expressed genes, cancer stem cells, qPCR
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 20 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 9, iss. 2, art. 179
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135037
• UDC: 616-006
• ISSN on article: 2227-9059
• DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9020179
• COBISS.SI-ID: 53489155
• Publication date in RUL: 18.02.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Biomedicines
• Shortened title: Biomedicines
• Publisher: MDPI AG
• ISSN: 2227-9059
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523006745

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 11.02.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: kolorektalni rak, različno izraženi geni, matične celice raka