Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología
Abstract
Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most
common gynecological malignancy in Europe and North
America. It is classified into two types exhibiting
different characteristics and prognosis. Type I is an
estrogen-dependent tumor, histologically classified as
low grade and low stage, usually with an excellent
prognosis. Type II EC is unrelated to estrogen
stimulation and is characterized by a poor prognosis.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) are small non-coding
RNA polynucleotides that regulate gene expression posttranscriptionally. Various dysregulations in microRNA
expression are often considered to have an impact on the
diagnosis, prognosis and overall survival in patients
diagnosed with different types of cancers. Recent data
suggest that microRNAs play an important role in the
pathogenesis of EC.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the
involvement of matrix metaloprotease 14 (MMP-14) and
microRNA-410 in formation of the EC tumor. To this
end expression of MMP-14 and microRNA-410 was
assessed within the cancer, transient and healthy zones in
the histological sections of tumours using immunohistochemical staining and laser capture microdissection
(LCM) followed by a quantitative real-time PCR. The
results revealed significantly higher expression of MMP14 in the cancer tissue zone in comparison to the healthy
tissue zone, as well as a lower expression of microRNA410 in the cancer zone compared with the healthy zone.
This reverse correlation may suggest a regulatory role of
miRNA-410 in modulating levels of MMP-14 in EC.
This is the first report on such regulation in human
endometrial cancer