In silico Identification of a Putative lncRNA-miRNA Regulatory Network Associated with Mucin Regulation in Colon Cancer

Document Type : Research Articles

Authors

• Sayyed Emad Aldin Tayyebi ¹
• Mahyar Heydarpour ²
• Hesam Dehghani ^{1, 3, 4}

¹ Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

² Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02115, MA, USA

³ Division of Biotechnology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

⁴ Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Research Group, Research Institute of Biotechnology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22067/jcmr.2024.86231.1086

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The underlying biological mechanisms for the development of colorectal cancer are largely unidentified. Several genes likely involved in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer have been identified. However, some other genes might have less evident functions. One gene family with prominent functional roles in the normal colon is mucin. Multiple studies have demonstrated the involvement of mucins in the pathogenesis of human malignancies. Therefore, due to the lack of an inclusive investigation of mucins' expression, mechanism of action, and involvement in colon adenocarcinoma's underlying biology, diagnosis, and prognosis, we sought to unearth their potential involvement and related regulatory networks in this disease. In this investigation, a step-wise manner was used, and a plethora of databases and algorithmic tools were applied. Due to a significant upregulation at both mRNA and protein levels and following a thorough evaluation of diagnostic and prognostic values in colon adenocarcinoma, MUC13 was determined to be the most relevant regulatory mucin in colon carcinoma. Altogether, these findings indicate a putative ncRNA-mRNA network, including hsa-mir-136-5p, hsa-mir-27a-3p, NEAT1, and XIST, to be involved in regulating MUC13 in colon cancer. This step-wise investigation implies that MUC13 may have a crucial role in the underlying molecular mechanisms for the initiation or progression of colon cancer. In addition, it provides insights into molecular mechanisms and possible regulatory non-coding RNA networks that might be responsible for regulating MUC13 expression.
 

Keywords

• colon cancer
• lncRNAs
• miRNAs
• mucins
• MUC13
• regulatory networks

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