Aim: to investigate the difference of microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles in colon adenocarcinoma and adjacent non-tumorous tissue (NT), for further studies on molecular mechanism of miRNA on colon adenocarcinoma.
Methods: the fresh samples of 3 colon adenocarcinoma and NT were obtained and total RNA was isolated with TRIzol reagent. Hybridization was carried out on miRNA microarray chip. Quantitative Real Time polymerasechain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to confirm results obtained by microarray analysis.
Results: 80 miRNAs with more than 2-fold change could be differentially expressed between NT and colon adenocarcinoma. 27 human miRNAs were found significantly down-regulated, while 2 miRNAs was found significantly up-regulated (P<0.05). The expression of miRNAs measured by qRT-PCR were consistent with that by miRNA microarray analysis in the same samples.
Conclusion: there were differentially expressed miRNAs in colon adenocarcinoma and NT. These different miRNAs might be correlated to the process of carcinogenesis and progression of colon adenocarcinoma. The miRNAs expression profiles might be an important molecular biomarker in the diagnosis of colon adenocarcinoma and target gene for tumor therapy.