Low serum level of miR-485-3p predicts poor survival in patients with glioblastoma

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 9; p. e0184969
• Main Authors: Wang, Zhi-Qiang, Zhang, Mei-Yin, Deng, Mei-Ling, Weng, Nuo-Qing, Wang, Hui-Yun, Wu, Shao-Xiong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 20.09.2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Aged; Analysis; Biology and life sciences; Biomarkers; Biomarkers, Tumor - blood; Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics; Brain cancer; Brain Neoplasms - blood; Brain Neoplasms - genetics; Brain Neoplasms - mortality; Brain Neoplasms - pathology; Breast cancer; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Case-Control Studies; Chemotherapy; Collaboration; Combined Modality Therapy; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Development and progression; DNA; DNA methylation; DNA methyltransferase; DNA microarrays; DNA Modification Methylases - blood; DNA Repair Enzymes - blood; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Genetic aspects; Glioblastoma; Glioblastoma - blood; Glioblastoma - genetics; Glioblastoma - mortality; Glioblastoma - pathology; Glioblastomas; Growth factors; Humans; Kinases; Laboratories; Level (quantity); Male; Measurement; Medical diagnosis; Medical prognosis; Medical research; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metastasis; Methylguanine; MicroRNA; MicroRNAs; MicroRNAs - blood; MicroRNAs - genetics; Middle Aged; miRNA; Neoplasm Staging; O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase; Oncology; Patient outcomes; Patients; Physiological aspects; Polymerase chain reaction; Prognosis; Prostate cancer; Radiation therapy; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Research and Analysis Methods; Reverse transcription; Serum levels; Surgery; Survival; Survival Rate; Tissues; Tumor Suppressor Proteins - blood; Young Adult; China
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184969

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs that play critical roles in human malignancies and can be used as biomarkers for cancer. Until now, a number of biomarkers for prognosis of glioblastoma (GBM) have been reported in tumor tissues but only a few biomarkers in circulating fluid. Using a custom microarray, we previously identified 19 differentially expressed miRNAs in serum of patients with GBM. In this study, we investigated whether 3 of the 19 miRNAs in serum could be used as prognostic biomarkers for patients with GBM. We first validated the serum levels of 3 candidate miRNAs in an independent cohort of 24 GBM patients and 12 healthy volunteers by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), and then evaluated the prognostic value of these miRNAs in a total of 36 GBM patients. The results show that the serum levels of the 3 miRNAs (miR-451a, miR-485-3p and miR-4298) determined by qRT-PCR are significantly different between 24 GBM patients and 12 healthy volunteers (all P <0.05) and are in concordance with the results of microarray analysis. High serum level of miR-451a is correlated with positive tumor O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) expression (P = 0.040). Survival analysis showed that low serum miR-485-3p level is associated with poor progression-free survival (PFS) (P < 0.004) and overall survival (OS) (P < 0.023). Furthermore, univariate and multivariate Cox analyses demonstrated that that serum miR-485-3p expression is a significant independent prognostic factor for PFS and OS in GBM patients. In conclusion, serum miR-485-3p level is reduced and might be a potential prognostic biomarker in GBM patients.