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Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology

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01-01-2021 | Cholangiocarcinoma | Original Article – Cancer Research

Panel of potential lncRNA biomarkers can distinguish various types of liver malignant and benign tumors

Authors: Olga Y. Burenina, Natalia L. Lazarevich, Inna F. Kustova, Daria A. Shavochkina, Ekaterina A. Moroz, Nikolay E. Kudashkin, Yuriy I. Patyutko, Alexey V. Metelin, Eduard F. Kim, Dmitry A. Skvortsov, Timofei S. Zatsepin, Maria P. Rubtsova, Olga A. Dontsova

Published in: Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology | Issue 1/2021

Abstract

Purpose

Liver cancers are among the deadliest malignancies due to a limited efficacy of early diagnostics, the lack of appropriate biomarkers and insufficient discrimination of different types of tumors by classic and molecular methods. In this study, we searched for novel long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) as well as validated several known candidates suitable as probable biomarkers for primary liver tumors of various etiology.

Methods

We described a novel lncRNA HELIS (aka “HEalthy LIver Specific”) and estimated its expression by RT-qPCR in 82 paired tissue samples from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), combined HCC-CCA, pediatric hepatoblastoma (HBL) and non-malignant hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) and focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH). Additionally, we examined expression of cancer-associated lncRNAs HULC, MALAT1, UCA1, CYTOR, LINC01093 and H19, which were previously studied mainly in HCC.

Results

We demonstrated that down-regulation of HELIS strongly correlates with carcinogenesis; whereas in tumors with non-hepatocyte origin (HBL, CCA) or in a number of poorly differentiated HCC, this lncRNA is not expressed. We showed that recently discovered LINC01093 is dramatically down-regulated in all malignant liver cancers; while in benign tumors LINC01093 expression is just twice decreased in comparison to adjacent samples.

Conclusion

Our study revealed that among all measured biomarkers only down-regulated HELIS and LINC01093, up-regulated CYTOR and dysregulated HULC are perspective for differential diagnostics of liver cancers; whereas others demonstrated discordant results and cannot be considered as potential universal biomarkers for this purpose.

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Title: Panel of potential lncRNA biomarkers can distinguish various types of liver malignant and benign tumors
Authors: Olga Y. Burenina
Natalia L. Lazarevich
Inna F. Kustova
Daria A. Shavochkina
Ekaterina A. Moroz
Nikolay E. Kudashkin
Yuriy I. Patyutko
Alexey V. Metelin
Eduard F. Kim
Dmitry A. Skvortsov
Timofei S. Zatsepin
Maria P. Rubtsova
Olga A. Dontsova
Publication date: 01-01-2021
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords: Cholangiocarcinoma
Hepatic Adenoma
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma
Focal Nodular Hyperplasia
Biomarkers
Published in: Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology / Issue 1/2021
Print ISSN: 0171-5216
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1335
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-020-03378-5

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