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MiR-21 Expression in Wilms' Tumor
Navid Bazzaz1, Nazila Nouraee2,3, Ali Zare-Mirzaie4
1Dept. of Pathology, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Background And Objective:
Wilms' tumor (WT) is the most common genitourinary tract tumor in children. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs; their role in the pathogenesis of many types of human cancers has been identified. We aimed to evaluate the expression of miR-21, a well-known oncomir, in WT tissue samples which is a very common urinary tract malignancy in children.
Methods:
We performed chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) to detect the sub-cellular localization of miR-21 in 25 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of WT. We also evaluated miR-21 expression in 24 of these blocks and 6 normal kidneys as controls using quantitative real-time PCR technique.
Results:
While our real-time PCR analysis showed miR-21 significant overexpression in 4 tumors compared to the normal kidney samples, we could not detect significant ISH signal in any of these samples.
Conclusion:
Low expression of miR-21 in WT might pinpoint the weak involvement of this miRNA in the pathogenesis of this cancer.
Insights
MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) showed limited involvement in childhood Wilms' tumor (WT) development. Quantitative real-time PCR detected overexpression in some WT samples, but in situ hybridization found no significant miR-21 signal.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric oncology
- Molecular biology
- Cancer research
Background:
- Wilms' tumor (WT) is the most common genitourinary malignancy in children.
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are implicated in various human cancers.
- miR-21 is a known oncomiR with a potential role in tumorigenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression and sub-cellular localization of miR-21 in pediatric Wilms' tumor.
- To assess the potential role of miR-21 in the pathogenesis of Wilms' tumor.
Main Methods:
- Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) was used to determine miR-21 sub-cellular localization in 25 WT tissue samples.
- Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was employed to evaluate miR-21 expression levels in 24 WT samples and 6 normal kidney controls.
Main Results:
- qRT-PCR revealed significant overexpression of miR-21 in 4 out of 24 Wilms' tumor samples when compared to normal kidney tissues.
- CISH analysis failed to detect a significant miR-21 signal in any of the examined WT tissue samples.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest a potentially weak involvement of miR-21 in the pathogenesis of Wilms' tumor.
- The discrepancy between qRT-PCR and CISH results warrants further investigation into miR-21's role in WT.