Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjo, Kumamoto, Japan.
J Dermatol Sci. 2011 Mar;61(3):187-93. doi: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2010.12.010. Epub 2011 Jan 13.
MicroRNA-221 (miR-221) is known to be abnormally expressed in malignant melanoma (MM) cells, and it favors the induction of the malignant phenotype through down-modulation of p27Kip1/CDKN1B and the c-KIT receptor. This suggests that the serum level of miR-221 might increase in patients with MM and thus could be used as a new tumor marker.
To evaluate the possibility that the serum miR-221 level can be a marker of MM.
Serum samples were obtained from 94 MM patients and 20 healthy controls. MicroRNAs were purified from serum, and miR-221 levels were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.
Circulating miR-221 was detectable and could be quantified in serum samples. MM patients had significantly higher miR-221 levels than healthy controls. Among the MM patients, the miR-221 levels were significantly increased in patients with stage I-IV MM compared to those with MM in situ, and the levels were correlated with tumor thickness. Moreover, a longitudinal study revealed a tendency for the miR-221 levels to decrease after surgical removal of the primary tumor, and to increase again at recurrence.
Serum levels of miR-221 were significantly increased in MM patients and may be useful not only for the diagnosis of MM, but also for the differentiating MM in situ from stage I-IV MM, and for evaluating tumor progression and monitoring patients during the follow-up period. In addition, considering that the serum levels of miR-221 were correlated with tumor thickness, miR-221 might also be useful as a prognostic marker for patients with MM.
已知 microRNA-221（miR-221）在恶性黑色素瘤（MM）细胞中异常表达，通过下调 p27Kip1/CDKN1B 和 c-KIT 受体，促进恶性表型的诱导。这表明 MM 患者的血清 miR-221 水平可能升高，因此可以作为一种新的肿瘤标志物。
评估血清 miR-221 水平是否可以作为 MM 的标志物。
从 94 例 MM 患者和 20 例健康对照者中获得血清样本。从血清中纯化 microRNAs，通过实时定量聚合酶链反应测量 miR-221 水平。
循环 miR-221 可在血清样本中检测到并可定量。MM 患者的 miR-221 水平明显高于健康对照组。在 MM 患者中，I-IV 期 MM 患者的 miR-221 水平明显高于原位 MM 患者，且与肿瘤厚度相关。此外，纵向研究显示，原发性肿瘤切除后 miR-221 水平有下降趋势，复发时再次升高。
MM 患者血清 miR-221 水平明显升高，不仅对 MM 的诊断有用，而且对原位 MM 与 I-IV 期 MM 的鉴别、肿瘤进展的评估以及随访期间患者的监测也有用。此外，考虑到血清 miR-221 水平与肿瘤厚度相关，miR-221 也可能作为 MM 患者的预后标志物。
