Quantitative RT-PCR-based miRNA profiling of blastemal Wilms' tumors from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples

Blastemal Wilms' tumors are associated with poor chemo-responsiveness and an adverse prognosis. Our aim was to contribute to the miRNA profiling of the disease, while demonstrating the value of archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples as miRNA sources. MiRNA was extracted from tumor and normal tissues of 8 patients diagnosed with blastemal Wilms' tumor in Hungary. A quantitative real-time PCR-based protocol was used to identify miRNAs of interest and study the expression of selected miRNAs in all samples. Profiling of miRNA expression from FFPE samples turned out to be cost-effective in Wilms' tumor, as most miRNAs (including miRNA-194-5p, which was studied in all patients) showed expression alterations similar to the ones reported in the literature. MiR-184 expression was found to be lower than in previous studies, while the downregulation of miR-203a is a novel finding. MiR-184 may be downregulated in a subset of blastemal and other Wilms' tumors. A loss of miR-203a may or may not be specific to blastemal cells, but available evidence hints at its importance in the pathogenesis of Wilms' tumor. It should be considered for inclusion in future studies of miRNA expression.