Non-Coding RNA Biomarkers in Prostate Cancer: Evidence Mapping and In Silico Characterization

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) show promise as prostate cancer (PCa) biomarkers.
• Existing evidence is fragmented, lacking integrated regulatory context analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically map ncRNAs identified as PCa diagnostic biomarkers.
• To characterize the molecular interactions and regulatory networks of these ncRNAs using in silico methods.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of bibliographic databases to identify eligible studies.
• In silico analyses including miRNA-target prediction and miRNA-protein network construction.
• Functional enrichment analysis of predicted target genes and proteins.

Main Results:

• Identified 4500 participants (2871 PCa cases, 2093 controls) across 58 studies.
• Reported 94 differentially expressed miRNAs, 8 lncRNAs, and other ncRNAs.
• Predicted 13,493 miRNA-mRNA interactions and constructed an 845-node miRNA-protein network, highlighting key regulatory molecules and pathways.

Conclusions:

• Refined the list of promising ncRNA biomarkers for prostate cancer.
• Identified key regulatory ncRNAs and protein hubs for potential clinical validation.
• Highlighted the importance of integrated analysis for understanding ncRNA function in PCa.