Personalized and Precision Medicine Journal

Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune. Early diagnosis of RA remains challenging. A significant portion of RA patients also experience unremitting symptoms despite treatment. miRNA are involved in the regulation of autoimmunity- and inflammation-related processes. In this study, we evaluated the expression of miR-22-3p in serum of RA patients as a novel biomarker. Expression level of this gene in the blood serum of 30 people with RA compared with 30 healthy individuals by the qRT-PCR method. Results showed levels of miR22-3p were significantly higher in the serum of patients with RA in comparison with healthy control (p<0.0001). We suggest that miR 22-3p can be used as a biomarker in early detection and screening.

Abstract Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in Iranian men and the fourth most common cancer in women. Recent studies have shown that lncRNAs may also engage in remodeling the tumor microenvironment and tumor metastasis. A lncRNA called LBX2 antisense RNA 1 (LBX2-AS1) has been reported to exert crucial regulatory actions in various cancer. In this study, we evaluate the expression of LBX2-AS1gene in 30 colorectal cancer tumor samples. Gene expression was assessed by Real-time PCR method and the results were analyzed by 2^-DDct. relative expression of this gene in tumor samples compared to healthy samples showed a 1.4-fold increase in tumor samples. According to our findings in this study and the results of other studies, it can be concluded that this gene can be used as a therapeutic target.

Abstract PTEN is a tumor suppressor gene with important roles in apoptosis. This gene is located on chromosome 10q23 and is one of the most frequently inactivated genes in cancers. Severe underexpression of PTEN has been reported in several types of cancer, including endometrial, prostate, breast, and brain cancer. Also, this gene is epigenetically silenced through aberrant hypermethylation of CpG islands on its promoter. The present study investigated the promoter methylation and expression levels of PTEN in patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC).
The study included 20 patients with NSCLC, whose bisulfite-treated DNA samples were investigated using the Methyl-Specific PCR (MSP) with primers specific for either methylated or non-methylated forms of PTEN. PTEN expression was also assessed using real-time PCR.
 20 samples from NSCLC patients, 70% (n=14) showed PTEN underexpression, while 85% (n=17) had PTEN promoter methylation. Also, 12 of 17 (70%) samples with PTEN promoter methylation had concomitant PTEN underexpression.
According to our results, there was a significant correlation between the PTEN promoter methylation and NSCLC. PTEN underexpression and promoter methylation were also significantly correlated.

Abstract Renal Cell Carcinomas (RCC) are a wide range of heterogeneous tumors that mainly originate in renal tubular epithelial cells. These carcinomas are more common in males older than 60. Studies have shown that overexpression of the Long Non-Coding RNA (lncRNA) TCL6, which is a lncRNA with roles in T-cell lymphoproliferative diseases, could suppress the proliferation and growth of Clear Cell RCC (ccRCC) cells. The present study intended to investigate the association of this specific lncRNA with ccRCC by comparing the expression levels in cancerous tissues with the adjacent normal tissues.
The study included 44 samples of ccRCC cells and healthy, adjacent tissue from the affected patients. The expression levels of TCL6 lncRNA were assessed in the cancerous tissues and the adjacent normal tissues using real-time PCR.
According to the results, TCL6 lncRNA was significantly underexpressed in the cancerous tissues than the adjacent normal tissues.
In conclusion, these findings indicated that TCL6 might have roles in the tumorigenesis regulation and development of RCC.

Abstract Hesperidin is a flavanone present in citrus fruits, such as oranges and lemons. It exerts non-toxic activities in normal cells; however, it has been reported to suppress cell proliferation in several cancer types. Moreover, it was shown that dietary hesperidin acts as an anti-carcinogenic agent for some tumors. In the present study, we investigated the effect of hesperidin on breast cancer cell line MCF7 and also its effects on the expression of apoptosis-related genes in this cell line.
MCF7 cells were divided into 4 groups, including 3 study groups and 1 control group. Each study group was treated with 50, 75, or 100 μg/mL hesperidin, while the control group was left untreated. The samples underwent real-time PCR using the primers specific for BCL-2 and BAX, as the study genes, while GAPDH was used as the control.
According to our findings, hesperidin caused a significant decrease in BCL-2 mRNA levels at all the doses used in the study groups compared to the control group (p < 0.002). The observed decrease was dose-dependent. Also, hesperidin induced a significant overexpression of BAX when used in doses of 75 and 100 µg/mL in comparison to the control group.
The present study proved the significant apoptosis-inducing effect of hesperidin on the breast cancer cell line MCF7.

Abstract Chemokine CXCL9 is a member of the CXC family and has an important role in the chemotaxis of immune cells. In this study,  changes in the expression of gene CXCL9 in prostate cancer and adjacent healthy tissue was investigated. The prostate cancer tissues and the corresponding adjacent tissues used in this study were collected from 30 patients. qRT-PCR was performed for evaluated changes in the expression of gene CXCL9 in prostate cancer and adjacent healthy tissue. The mRNA levels of CXCL9 in prostate cancer samples was greater than normal samples (P=0.04), The results suggested that the mRNA expression levels of CXCL9 were positively associated with prostate cancer.

Abstract Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer worldwide and it ranks second among cancer deaths. Several studies have shown that FGL2 contributes to the pathogenesis of a number of infectious diseases, However, little is known about its biological functions in cancer development and metastasis. In this study, we investigated the correlation between FGL1 expression and prognosis in GC patients. gastric  cancer tissue  and adjacent healthy pecimens (n=20) were obtained from patients aged between 30 and 50 years who were diagnosed with in gastric cancer, Total RNA was extracted, Reverse transcription and qPCR was performed and Relative expression level was calculated using the 2-∆∆Cq  method. We found that the expression of FGL1 in gastric cancer tissues were obvi­ously higher than that in the adjacent tissues at mRNA levels (p <0.003).

Abstract The increasing literature exploring the role of circulating miR-210 has clarified its potential as a promising biomarker for early detection, diagnosis and prognosis. Measuring circulating miR-210 levels could be a non-invasive method for early cancer detection. Even if, to date, most studies appear to be preliminary it seems that miR-210 will be a good target for drug development. In this study, we had detected the difference of serum miR-210 expression between health and breast cancer patients. total of 15 breast cancer patients were selected for the breast cancer (BC) group and 15 healthy people. The results showed The expression level of miR-210 in the serum of breast cancer patients was significantly higher compared with that in healthy individuals. Patients with breast cancer present increased levels of circulating miR-210; thus, circulating miR-210 may be a potential biomarker of tumor presence and therapeutic response in breast cancer

Abstract Cervical cancer is the most widely screened cancer in the world both in high- and middle-income countries. HPV has been implicated in 99.7% of cervical squamous cell cancer cases worldwide. Viral E6 and E7 genes expression leads to alterations of the cellular genome integrity, including structural and numerical chromosomal instability resulting in chromosomal mis-segregation and aneuploidy. Centromere protein M (CENPM) is an essential centromere component for chromosome separation. In this study, we evaluated the expression of this gene at mRNA level by qRT-PCR method on 20 cancer samples who previously had feather papillomavirus infection, The results show a significant increase in the expression of this gene in cancer samples.

Abstract The miRNAs produced predominantly in the placenta are probably involved in placental differentiation and maintenance of pregnancy. One of the important functions of miR-126 is its involvement in angiogenesis by enhancing the expression of VEGF. Abnormalities of placental vasculature may result in several gestational complications, including pregnancy loss. The current study compared the expression of miR-126 in the plasma of women with recurrent miscarriages and women with healthy pregnancies by Realtime qRT-PCR. The results indicated that the expression difference of miR-21 between the pregnant patients and the controls was statistically significant (p =0.002). This microRNA can be used as a biomarker in diagnosis and progression.

Abstract The roles of miRNAs in autoimmunity are only beginning to be explored; they may be involved in regulating immune responses against self-tissues.miRNAs may contribute to disease progression and response to treatment in MS patients. Several studies on MS have analyzed the role or profile of miRNAs in different tissues including peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).The current study evaluated mir-21 and mir-146a in CSF samples of patients with multiple sclerosis. Differential expression of the two miRNAs was detected in at least 80% of the CSF samples;however, additional functional studies and analyses of larger cohorts are needed to validate these results and to elucidate the real role of these miRNAs in the context of MS.
 

Abstract The majority of ncRNAs are known as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) whose length exceeds 200 nucleotides. H19, a lncRNA, is the transcription product of the H19 gene, an oncogene in breast cancer, and is highly expressed in cancer tissues compared with normal tissues. The expression level of H19 is associated with the oncogenesis, proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance of breast cancer. H19 expression levels were detected in breast cancer plasma using qRT-Real-Time PCR assay in 50 breast cancer samples and 50 healthy control samples. The results showed that the expression of this gene in both the tissue and the plasma of patients increased compared to that of healthy individuals.

Abstract According to the World Health Organization, one in eight to ten women will develop breast cancer. Therefore, the development of new blood / serum markers is important as an alternative to traditional diagnosis methods. Early detection of breast cancer plays an important role in choosing the right treatment approach and treating the patient. In this study, the expression of miRNA21 gene in the plasma sample of people with breast cancer compared to healthy people was evaluated. The results of qPCR showed that the expression levels of miRNA-21 in the plasma samples of breast cancer patients were significantly increased compared to those of the healthy controls. These results suggest that Mir 21 could be a very good blood biomarker for the early detection of breast cancer.

Abstract Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) has a critical role in spermatogenesis process and altered expression level of this gene may leads to male infertility. In the present study, the assocaitions of gene expression and promoter methylation of MTHFR with risk of oligozoospermia was assessed. Sperm DNA and RNA were extracted from 20 oligozoospermia men and 20 controls consisting of healthy fertile men. Following the modification of DNAs by sodium bisulfite treatment, the methylation status of the MTHFR gene promoter was quantified by methyl specific PCR. MTHFR expression evaluated by Quantitative PCR, or real-time PCR, (qPCR). Our data revealed a significant association of CpG island promoter methylation and MTHFR expression with risk of oligospermia (P = 0.031). The prevalence of methylation in promoter region of MTHFR can be a useful molecular biomarker to predict the predisposition of male infertility.