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MiRNA let-7 from TPO(+) Extracellular Vesicles is a Potential Marker for a Differential Diagnosis of Follicular
Lidia Zabegina1,2,3, Inga Nazarova1,2, Margarita Knyazeva1,2,3
1Subcellular Technology Lab., N.N. Petrov National Medical Research Center of Oncology, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia.
Background:
The current approaches to distinguish follicular adenomas (FA) and follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) at the pre-operative stage have low predictive value. Liquid biopsy-based analysis of circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) presents a promising diagnostic method. However, the extreme heterogeneity of plasma EV population hampers the development of new diagnostic tests. We hypothesize that the isolation of EVs with thyroid-specific surface molecules followed by miRNA analysis, may have improved diagnostic potency.
Methods:
The total population of EVs was isolated from the plasma of patients with FA (n = 30) and FTC (n = 30). Thyroid peroxidase (TPO)-positive EVs were isolated from the total populations using immune-beads. The miRNA from the TPO(+)EVs obtained from the plasma of FA and FTC patients was assayed by RT-PCR. The diagnostic potency of the selected miRNAs was estimated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.
Results:
TPO(+)EVs can be efficiently isolated by immunobeads. The analysis of Let-7 family members in TPO(+)EVs allows one to distinguish FA and FTC with high accuracy (area under curve defined by ROC = 0.77-0.84).
Conclusion:
The isolation of TPO(+)EVs, followed by RT-qPCR analysis of Let-7 family members, may present a helpful approach to manage follicular nodules in the thyroid gland.
