ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and a major cause of cancer-related death. Thus molecular biomarkers for colorectal cancer have been proposed. The role of long non-coding RNA EGFR-AS1 in colorectal cancer is still unclear. We aimed to evaluate its expression in different stages of colorectal cancer and determine any possible role in regulating the miR133b/EGFR/STAT3 signalling pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The relative expression of EGFR-AS1 and miR133b were evaluated by quantitative real-time RT-transcription PCR in 130 colorectal cancer samples and 30 normal tissues. EGFR expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, levels of p-EGFR, p-STAT3, and apoptotic proteins were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Both EGFR-AS1 and EGFR overexpression were positively linked with colorectal cancer status (both p < 0.01), grade (both p < 0.01), and metastasis (P < 0.01 and p = 0.019 respectively). EGFR-AS1 and miR-133b were significantly inversely correlated (P < 0.01). Low expression of miR-133b was inversely associated with overexpressed EGFR and increased p-STAT3 levels. EGFR-AS1 was an independent prognostic factor for survival of colorectal cancer patients (P < 0.01, HR 2.06; 95% CI 1.32-3.19) where low EGFR-AS1 expression was associated with higher survival rate (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: EGFR-AS1 may have a role in colorectal cancer by regulation of miR133b/EGFR/STAT3 signalling. It may be a potential biomarker for early diagnosis and predicting the survival rate of colorectal cancer.
Subject(s)
Colorectal Neoplasms/metabolism , MicroRNAs/metabolism , RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism , STAT3 Transcription Factor/metabolism , Aged , Apoptosis , Colorectal Neoplasms/genetics , Colorectal Neoplasms/mortality , Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology , ErbB Receptors/genetics , ErbB Receptors/metabolism , Female , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Humans , Male , MicroRNAs/genetics , Middle Aged , Phosphorylation , RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics , Signal TransductionABSTRACT
Several non-HLA factors such as, age, sex, blood group, and cytomegalovirus (CMV) carrier state of both the donor and the recipient are known to influence renal allograft survival. In a retrospective study on 150 living related donor renal transplant patients, we evaluated the effect of the above mentioned factors on graft survival. Patients were divided into two groups, according to immunosuppression protocols. Group 1 (n=120) patients were on triple therapy with cyclosporin-A, azathioprine and prednisolone whereas those in Group 2 (n=30) were on conventional therapy with azathioprine and prednisolone. In Group 1, the patients aged 45 years (P < 0.06). Sex of neither the donors nor the recipients affected graft survival. Patients with blood group B had poor graft survival among Group 2 patients (P < 0.05). However, the patients with blood group B in Group 1 had significantly superior graft survival rates than the patients with the same blood group in Group 2 (P < 0.01). No significant difference in the graft survival rates was found between the two groups in relation to other blood groups. Also, there was no significant difference in the graft survival of the CMV negative and the CMV positive (IgG) recipients in both the study groups.