Biomarker Value of miR-221 and miR-222 as Potential Substrates in the Differential Diagnosis of Papillary Thyroid Cancer Based on Data Synthesis and Bioinformatics Approach.

Abstract

Background:

MicroRNA (miRNA) has been reported to play a critical regulatory role in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC). However, the role of miR-221/222 in PTC remains unclear. Here, we performed this study to explore the diagnostic potentials and mechanisms of miR-221/222 in PTC.

Methods:

First, we systematically analyzed the diagnostic value of miR-221/222 in the diagnosis PTC by pooling the published studies. Afterwards, we performed comprehensive bioinformatics analysis including gene ontology analysis, pathway enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction analysis to explore the potential mechanisms of miR-221/222 involved in PTC.

Results:

The overall sensitivity and specificity of miR-221/222 for PTC were 0.75 (95% CI: 0.70-0.80) and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.76-0.84) respectively with the AUC of 0.85 (95% CI: 0.81-0.88). The diagnostic performance varied among different subgroups including geographical locations, sample sources and sample sizes. Meanwhile, we found that a combination of miR-221/222 and other miRNAs when used in a diagnostic panel could improve the diagnostic accuracy than individual miR-221/222. Moreover, through the bioinformatics analysis, we confirmed that miR-221/222 targets were highly related to the molecular pathogenesis of PTC. The results revealed that miR-221/222 may exert important functions in PTC through thyroid hormone signaling pathway and some other key pathways by regulating some key genes.

Conclusion:

These findings indicated that miR-221/222 have the potential to serve as auxiliary tools for diagnosing PTC. Further prospective clinical trials should be performed to assess the accuracy of these findings in a larger cohort and determine the clinical uses.

• Authors: Shang Cai, Jiayan Ma, Yong Wang, Yuxing Cai, Liwei Xie, Xiangying Chen, Yingying Yang, Qiliang Peng
• Journal: Frontiers in endocrinology (Front Endocrinol (Lausanne)) Vol. 12 Pg. 794490 ( 2021) ISSN: 1664-2392 [Print] Switzerland
• PMID: 35197926 (Publication Type: Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Systematic Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Cai, Ma, Wang, Cai, Xie, Chen, Yang and Peng.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• MIRN221 microRNA, human
• MIRN222 microRNA, human
• MicroRNAs

Topics

• Biomarkers
• Computational Biology
• Diagnosis, Differential
• Humans
• MicroRNAs (genetics, metabolism)
• Thyroid Cancer, Papillary (diagnosis, genetics, pathology)
• Thyroid Neoplasms (diagnosis, genetics, pathology)