High-throughput sequencing to identify miRNA biomarkers in colorectal cancer patients.

ABSTRACT

The altered expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is associated with a number of cancer types. The study of the association between the miRNA profile and cancer may be useful to identify potential biomarkers of certain types of cancer. In the present study, 19 miRNAs were identified by high-throughput sequencing in the serum of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. A network analysis was performed based on a computational approach to identify associations between CRC and miRNAs. The present study may be useful to identify cancer-specific signatures and potentially useful biomarkers for the diagnosis of CRC. The network analysis of miRNA-target genes may aid in identifying altered miRNA regulatory networks that are involved in tumor pathogenesis.