BACKGROUND

The pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC) is influenced by various risk factors, and genetic alterations in progression of colon polyps. The expression patterns of microRNA-548 (miR-548) in colorectal tissues have been sufficiently characterized. The aim of this study is to clarify the role of miR-548aa in tumorigenesis, gene targeting, predictive value and its expression levels in tumoral versus adjacent marginal tissues in CRC patients.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This study included 35 CRC patients who underwent surgery to remove their tumor tissue. Tumor samples and adjacent marginal tissue were collected and gene expression was analyzed through real-time PCR. The correlation between miR-548aa expression levels and clinical parameters were investigated. Our findings showed a significant increase in the expression of miR-548aa in tumoral tissues compared to marginal tissues (p < 0.05). The upregulation of miR-548aa was significantly detected in CRC samples, showing an area under the curve of 0.89 (p = 0.002), indicating strong sensitivity and specificity for CRC diagnosis. To prediction of miRNA target genes and construction of regulatory networks of miR-548aa, we used bioinformatics tools including TargetScan and miRDB. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed through STRING database and visualized using Cytoscape software.

CONCLUSIONS

Dysregulation of miR-548aa is closely related to tumorigenesis in colorectal tissues, which affects disease progression and clinical outcomes. The miR-548aa can be introduced as a proposed biomolecule involved in mechanism of tumorigenesis, gene targeting and predictive value for CRC diagnosis and a target for therapeutic intervention.