Department of Pathology Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Jenderal Soedirman University, Purwokerto, Indonesia.
Undergraduate Student, Faculty of Medicine, Jenderal Soedirman University, Purwokerto, Indonesia.
Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2024 Sep 1;25(9):2999-3006. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2024.25.9.2999.
The molecular mechanisms underlying nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) progression remain poorly understood. In particular, the roles of circulating mRNAs encoding key regulatory proteins have yet to be explored. This study aimed to identify NPC-associated expression signatures of circulating VEGF, PTEN, and SOCS1 mRNAs and their potential as biomarkers.
A case-control study was conducted comprising 160 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients and 80 controls, from whom peripheral blood samples. Total RNA was extracted and the levels of VEGF, PTEN, and SOCS1 mRNAs were quantified using reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Relative expression was calculated using the 2-ΔΔCt method. Bioinformatic analyses, including GeneMANIA, Gene Ontology (GO), and KEGG pathway analysis, were performed to predict the functional roles and interactions of these mRNAs.
We identified significantly increased circulating VEGF mRNA in lymph node metastases (1.66-fold, p<0.05) and elevated SOCS1 mRNA in late-stage NPC (20-fold, p<0.05). PTEN mRNA was reduced 4.26-fold in NPC patients. These data suggest that circulating VEGF, PTEN, and SOCS1 mRNAs represent signatures of NPC progression and can potentially be biomarkers. Network analyses implicate these mRNAs in mechanisms enabling NPC pathogenesis.
Our study reveals NPC-associated expression changes of circulating VEGF, PTEN, and SOCS1 mRNAs. These molecular signatures may serve as biomarkers during NPC progression and provide insights into underlying mechanisms. Further validation of their utility as prognostic indicators of NPC is warranted.
鼻咽癌（NPC）进展的分子机制仍知之甚少。特别是，循环 mRNA 编码关键调节蛋白的作用尚未得到探索。本研究旨在鉴定 NPC 相关的循环 VEGF、PTEN 和 SOCS1 mRNA 的表达特征及其作为生物标志物的潜力。
进行了一项病例对照研究，包括 160 例鼻咽癌（NPC）患者和 80 例对照，从他们的外周血样本中提取总 RNA，并使用逆转录定量 PCR（RT-qPCR）定量测定 VEGF、PTEN 和 SOCS1 mRNA 的水平。使用 2-ΔΔCt 方法计算相对表达。进行生物信息学分析，包括 GeneMANIA、基因本体论（GO）和 KEGG 途径分析，以预测这些 mRNA 的功能作用和相互作用。
我们发现淋巴结转移中的循环 VEGF mRNA 显著增加（1.66 倍，p<0.05），晚期 NPC 中的 SOCS1 mRNA 升高（20 倍，p<0.05）。NPC 患者的 PTEN mRNA 减少了 4.26 倍。这些数据表明，循环 VEGF、PTEN 和 SOCS1 mRNA 代表 NPC 进展的特征，并且可能是生物标志物。网络分析表明这些 mRNA 参与了 NPC 发病机制的机制。
我们的研究揭示了 NPC 相关的循环 VEGF、PTEN 和 SOCS1 mRNA 的表达变化。这些分子特征可作为 NPC 进展过程中的生物标志物，并提供对潜在机制的深入了解。需要进一步验证它们作为 NPC 预后指标的实用性。
