tRNA-Derived Fragments as Biomarkers in Bladder Cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Bladder cancer (BC) diagnosis relies on invasive cystoscopy, prompting the search for noninvasive biomarkers.
• Extracellular vesicles (EVs) in body fluids like urine and blood contain valuable molecular cargo, including RNA.
• Transfer RNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs found within EVs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of tRFs within EVs as noninvasive biomarkers for bladder cancer.
• To compare tRF expression profiles in patients with non-muscle invasive BC versus non-cancer patients (NCPs).
• To assess tRFs for their utility in diagnosing BC and predicting recurrence-free survival.

Main Methods:

• Small-RNA next-generation sequencing was performed on urinary and serum EVs from 41 BC patients and 15 NCPs.
• Samples were collected pre- and post-surgery (transurethral resection of bladder tumors).
• Differential expression analysis identified specific tRFs (DEtRFs) and their genomic alignment was investigated.

Main Results:

• 14 differentially expressed tRFs (DEtRFs) were identified in urine EVs comparing T1 stage BC patients to NCPs.
• Six DEtRFs were found in serum supernatant comparing pre- and post-surgery samples in T1 stage patients.
• Four DEtRFs were identified in serum supernatant comparing pre-surgery samples to NCPs.

Conclusions:

• Specific tRFs in urine and serum EVs show potential as noninvasive biomarkers for bladder cancer diagnosis.
• These tRFs may aid in monitoring disease recurrence and predicting recurrence-free survival.
• The identified DEtRFs align with genomic regions involved in cancer development, suggesting functional relevance.