Alʹmanah Kliničeskoj Mediciny (Oct 2024)
Clinical significance of analysis of long non-coding RNA PSMB8-AS1, MBNL1-AS1, and OLMALINC expression by polymerase chain reaction in non-small cell lung cancer
Abstract
Rationale: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) influence tumor cell properties during the onset and progression of lung malignancies; however, their diagnostic and prognostic significance has not been determined. We have previously shown that when non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells acquire a more malignant phenotype (under the influence of macrophagal cytotoxic activity) compared to the original cell lines, the expression of several lncRNAs, in particular PSMB8-AS1, MBNL1-AS1, and OLMALINC, is altered compared to the original cell lines. Aim: A comparative analysis of lncRNAs PSMB8-AS1, MBNL1-AS1, and OLMALINC expression in tissue samples from lung tumors and conditionally normal areas of the lungs and an assessment of the lncRNAs clinical significance. Methods: We have analyzed surgical samples of the tumor and conditionally normal tissue from 16 patients with a verified diagnosis of NSCLC. The expression level of lncRNAs PSMB8-AS1, MBNL1-AS1 and OLMALINC was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. To analyze the long-term treatment results and clinical significance of the studied genes, the patients were divided into two comparison groups depending on the relative level of lncRNAs expression (above or below the median). Results: The expression of lncRNAs PSMB8-AS1, MBNL1-AS1 and OLMALINC in the lung tumor tissue was significantly reduced compared to the conditionally normal tissues (p = 0.0034; p = 0.002 and p = 0.0172, respectively). Analysis of the association between the expression of these lncRNAs with clinical and morphological characteristics, such as disease stage, tumor size, presence of regional and distant metastases was unable to identify any regular patterns. The expression of lncRNAs PSMB8-AS1, MBNL1-AS1 and OLMALINC was not a significant prognostic factor (p = 0.364; p = 0.759 and p = 0.184, respectively). However in the case of high OLMALINC and PSMB8-AS1 expression, median survival was 47 months, while in the case of their low expression, median survival was not achieved during the follow-up. The expression of lncRNA PSMB8-AS1 in NSCLC tumors positively correlated with the expression of lncRNA OLMALINC (r = 0.680, p = 0.007), which may indicate their functional interplay or the presence of common regulatory mechanisms. Conclusion: The NSCLC tumors demonstrated aberrant expression of PSMB8-AS1, MBNL1-AS1, and OLMALINC lncRNAs. A more detailed study of their expression in various cell types and their regulatory role would allow for validation of new therapeutic targets in NSCLC, as well as for development of alternative therapies.
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