Abstract

BackgroundSmall non-coding regulatory RNAs control cellular functions at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Oral squamous cell carcinoma is among the leading cancers in the world and the presence of cervical lymph node metastases is currently its strongest prognostic factor. In this work we aimed at finding small RNAs expressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma that could be associated with the presence of lymph node metastasis.MethodsSmall RNA libraries from metastatic and non-metastatic oral squamous cell carcinomas were sequenced for the identification and quantification of known small RNAs. Selected markers were validated in plasma samples. Additionally, we used in silico analysis to investigate possible new molecules, not previously described, involved in the metastatic process.ResultsGlobal expression patterns were not associated with cervical metastases. MiR-21, miR-203 and miR-205 were highly expressed throughout samples, in agreement with their role in epithelial cell biology, but disagreeing with studies correlating these molecules with cancer invasion. Eighteen microRNAs, but no other small RNA class, varied consistently between metastatic and non-metastatic samples. Nine of these microRNAs had been previously detected in human plasma, eight of which presented consistent results between tissue and plasma samples. MiR-31 and miR-130b, known to inhibit several steps in the metastatic process, were over-expressed in non-metastatic samples and the expression of miR-130b was confirmed in plasma of patients showing no metastasis. MiR-181 and miR-296 were detected in metastatic tumors and the expression of miR-296 was confirmed in plasma of patients presenting metastasis. A novel microRNA-like molecule was also associated with non-metastatic samples, potentially targeting cell-signaling mechanisms.ConclusionsWe corroborate literature data on the role of small RNAs in cancer metastasis and suggest the detection of microRNAs as a tool that may assist in the evaluation of oral squamous cell carcinoma metastatic potential.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12920-015-0102-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

  • Small non-coding regulatory RNAs control cellular functions at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels

  • In this work we aimed at finding small RNAs expressed in Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) that could be associated with the presence of lymph node metastasis

  • The possibility to evaluate the metastatic potential of OSCC is relevant to the clinical and molecular oncologist due to the possible asymptomatic development of such cancer in its early stages

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Summary

Introduction

Small non-coding regulatory RNAs control cellular functions at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. In this work we aimed at finding small RNAs expressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma that could be associated with the presence of lymph node metastasis. Small noncoding RNAs are regulatory molecules that have recently emerged as important players in several aspects of cellular biology. They are approximately 18 to 30 nucleotides in length and act mostly through the inactivation of complementary sequences. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and PIWI interacting RNAs (piRNA), for instance, are involved in sequence-specific and chromatindependent gene silencing [1]. One of the two complementary RNA molecules will integrate the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) and interact with miRNA complementary sites within target transcripts [6].

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