Purpose: In hopes of discovering new markers for metastatic or aggressive phenotypes of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PCPG), we analyzed the noncoding transcriptome from patient gene expression data in The Cancer Genome Atlas.
Methods: Differential expression of miRNAs was observed between PCPG molecular subtypes. We specifically characterized candidate miRNAs that are upregulated in pseudohypoxic PCPGs with mutations in succinate dehydrogenase complex subunits, B and/or D (SDHB and/or SDHD, respectively), which are mutations associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes.
Results: Our computational analysis identified four candidate miRNAs that showed elevated expression in metastatic compared to non-metastatic PCPGs: miR-182, miR-183, miR-96, and miR-383. We also found six candidate lncRNAs harboring opposite expression patterns from the miRNAs when we analyzed the expression profiles of their predicted target lncRNAs. Three of these lncRNA candidates, USP3-AS1, LINC00877, and AC009312.1, were validated to have reduced expression in metastatic compared to non-metastatic PCPGs. Finally, using univariate and multivariate analysis, we found miRNA miR-182 to be an independent predictor of metastasis-free survival in PCPGs.
Conclusions: We identified candidate miRNA and lncRNAs associated with metastasis-free survival in PCPGs.
Keywords: Biomarkers; Long noncoding RNA; Metastasis; Paraganglioma; Pheochromocytoma; microRNA.
© 2021. This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply.