Integrated Transcriptome and miRNome of Mucinous and Non-Mucinous Adenocarcinoma of Colorectal Cancer
By: Sri Noraima Othman (aimaothman@ppukm.ukm.edu.my)
As many as 1.2 million people are estimated to develop colorectal cancer (CRC) every year. Mucinous adenocarcinoma of the CRC is characterized by abundant mucous secretion containing at least 50% of the tumour volume and is observed in 10–15% of the CRC patients. This cancer subtype have characteristics (eg microsatellite instability, less tumour characteristics, formation of multiple metastases) that might explain treatment resistance especially in advanced-stage diseases, when compared with non-mucinous adenocarcinoma. In addition, it is more commonly found in patients with colon cancer than in those with rectal cancer (15% versus 9% of patients, respectively).
The prognosis, predictive and clinical implications for treatment and follow up of patients with mucinous CRC are still in debate. More investigations are warranted to better characterize the genetic profile and pharmacological markers which could explain the unfavorable responsiveness and prognosis of mucinous CRC. We aim to study the microRNAs (miRNAs) and gene expression profiles to further understand the molecular landscape of this cancer using the publicly available datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).
In this study, we identified three differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs and 477 DE genes in mucinous versus non-mucinous adenocarcinoma. Mucin Type O-Glycan Biosynthesis and MAPK Signaling Pathway were among the significantly enriched pathways. These miRNAs could be potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for mucinous CRC.