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Updated: Sep 9, 2025
miRNA Expression Analyses in Prostate Cancer Clinical Tissues
Published on: September 8, 2015
Interconnected study of molecular pathways: miR-137 as a central element at the intersection of lipid metabolism and
Karina Serafim da Silva1, Vanessa Ribeiro Guimarães1, Feres Camargo Maluf2
1Laboratório de Investigação Médica 55 (LIM55), Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Objective:
To evaluate the roles of miR-137 and its target genes in lipid metabolism and prostate tumorigenesis.
Methods:
We used a series of bioinformatic approaches to establish the relationship between miR-137 and its target genes. We mapped the metabolic pathways of interest in the Reactome database and identified the central target genes of miR-137 in this pathway using four platforms: Reactome, miRDB, miRmap, and TargetScan. To assess the expression and association with clinical parameters, we obtained information from the UALCAN, OncoDB, and GEPIA2 databases using a dataset of patients with prostate cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas. For functional enrichment analysis and construction of the protein-protein interaction network, we used the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Gene Ontology, and STRING.
Results:
Our in silico study of The Cancer Genome Atlas database revealed that miR-137 is underexpressed in tumor tissues, and its reduction is associated with poor prognosis. An intriguing set of eight genes within the PPARα pathway: PPARGC1A, PPARGC1B, NCOA1, NCOA2, NCOA3, MED1, MED27, and ESRRA displayed synergy, positive correlations, and synchronized expression patterns in adipose, hepatic, and prostatic tissues, all linked to the enigmatic processes of metabolic regulation. Among the highlighted genes, ESRRA was overexpressed in the malignant environment, whereas its counterparts remained underexpressed. The plot was thickened with associations between the expression of NCOA1, NCOA3, and MED27, lymph node involvement, and the overexpression of several genes linked to advanced prostate cancer stages. An intriguing pattern emerged, with patients exhibiting reduced disease-free survival overexpressing NCOA2, NCOA3, MED27, and ESRRA.
Conclusion:
This study elucidates the possibility that miR-137 subtly modulates metabolic genes in prostate cancer, suggesting its latent therapeutic potential as a biomarker for disease progression.
Background:
■ The reduction of miR-137 in tumor tissues is associated with a worse prognosis.
Background:
■ miR-137 has eight oncogenically relevant target genes acting in the PPARα lipid pathway.
Background:
■ NCOA1, NCOA3, MED27, and ESRRA are associated with advanced prostate cancer.
Background:
■ miR-137 exhibits significant clinical potential by repressing the activation of pathways that influence prostate tumorigenesis in hyperstimulated metabolic environments.
Background:
Prostate cancer progression is sustained by the simultaneous activation of pathways involving lipid uptake and de novo synthesis. In this context, miR-137 inhibits adipogenic differentiation and may reduce lipid uptake by tumor cells by modulating the PPAR/ p160/ESRRA axis, considerably attenuating metabolic effects and suppressing prostate tumorigenesis.
Insights
MicroRNA-137 (miR-137) reduction in prostate tumors correlates with poor prognosis and links to lipid metabolism genes. This suggests miR-137’s potential as a therapeutic biomarker for prostate cancer progression.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Prostate cancer progression involves lipid metabolism pathways.
- Reduced miR-137 expression in tumors is linked to worse patient prognosis.
- miR-137 targets oncogenic genes within the PPARα lipid pathway.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of miR-137 and its target genes in prostate cancer lipid metabolism.
- To evaluate miR-137 as a potential biomarker for prostate cancer progression.
Main Methods:
- Bioinformatic analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset.
- Identification of miR-137 target genes in metabolic pathways using multiple databases (Reactome, miRDB, miRmap, TargetScan).
- Assessment of gene expression and clinical associations using UALCAN, OncoDB, and GEPIA2.
- Functional enrichment and protein-protein interaction network analysis (KEGG, GO, STRING).
Main Results:
- miR-137 was underexpressed in prostate tumor tissues, correlating with poor prognosis.
- Eight key genes (PPARGC1A, PPARGC1B, NCOA1, NCOA2, NCOA3, MED1, MED27, ESRRA) in the PPARα pathway showed coordinated expression patterns.
- ESRRA was overexpressed in tumors, while other target genes were underexpressed; specific gene expressions (NCOA1, NCOA3, MED27, ESRRA) correlated with advanced stages and reduced disease-free survival.
Conclusions:
- miR-137 plays a role in modulating metabolic genes within prostate cancer.
- The findings suggest miR-137's potential as a therapeutic biomarker for monitoring prostate cancer progression.
- Targeting miR-137 may offer a novel therapeutic strategy in hyperstimulated metabolic environments driving tumorigenesis.
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