MiR-3614-5p Is a Potential Novel Biomarker for Colorectal Cancer

MiR-3614-5p has been found in a variety of cancers including colorectal cancer. However, the association of miR-3614-5p with colorectal cancer is still unclear. Based on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, the relationship between miR-3614-5p and colorectal cancer can be proved. Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare the miR-3614-5p expression in colorectal cancer tissues and under normal conditions, respectively. The logistic regression method was further employed to analyze the relationship between miR-3614-5p and clinicopathological characteristics. Also, the correlation between miR-3614-5p and survival rate was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis. Besides, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to investigate the biological functions of miR-3614-5p. The decrease of miR-3614-5p expression of colorectal cancer was significantly correlated with N stage (OR) = 0.7 for N1&N2 vs. N0), M stage (OR = 0.5 for M1 vs. M0), pathologic stage (OR = 0.7 for Stage III & Stage IV vs. Stage I & Stage II), neoplasm type (OR = 0.5 for rectum adenocarcinoma vs. colon adenocarcinoma), and lymphatic invasion (OR = 0.6 for YES vs. NO) (all p-values < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that colorectal cancer with low miR-3614-5p has a poorer prognosis than that of high miR-3614-5p (p = 0.005). According to univariate analysis, low miR-3614-5p was associated with poor overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.599; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.418-0.857; p = 0.005]. In multivariate analysis, miR-3614-5p was closely related to OS (HR = 0.630; 95% CI: 0.405-0.978, p = 0.021). GSEA showed that the high expression phenotype of miR-3614-5p differentially enriches the P53 pathway. Meanwhile, the high expression phenotype of miR-3614-5p enhanced NK T cell activation, negative T cell selection, response to interleukin 2, and response to tumor cells. MiR-3614-5p is a possible prognostic marker of low survival rate for patients with colorectal cancer. Moreover, the P53 pathway and P38MAPK pathway may be the key pathways regulated by miR-3614-5p in colorectal cancer.