Transcriptome integration analysis in hepatocellular carcinoma reveals discordant intronic miRNA-host gene pairs in expression
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Intronic miRNAs, residing in intronic regions of host genes, are thought to be co-transcribed from their host genes and present consistent expression patterns with host genes. Recent studies reported a few intronic miRNAs with discordant expression with their host genes. We therefore aimed to understand the expression pattern of intronic miRNAs and their host genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and reveal possible associated molecular mechanisms. Our genome wide integration analysis of miRNA and mRNA transcriptomes, in three dataset from 550 patients with HCC, found that a large amount of miRNA-host gene pairs were discordantly expressed. Consistent results were also revealed in 775 breast cancer patients. Further, most of HCC-related intronic miRNAs were predicted to have distinct upstream regulators and independent proximal promoter signals from host genes. The discordant expression of representative pairs, miR-26s/CTDSPs, was validated experimentally. We have also identified the independent transcriptional start site, promoter signal, and transcriptional factor of miR-26b from its host gene. Collectively, discordant expression of intronic miRNAs and their host genes was relatively ubiquitous and the intronic miRNA "independent transcription" may partially contribute to such a phenotype.
DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.20836
Institutions: Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Zhejiang University, National Cancer Institute, Sinocelltech Group (China), Fudan University, Zhongshan Hospital, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of Hawaii System
Language: English
Subfield: Cancer Research
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,337
Funders: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fudan University, National Institutes of Health, University of California, San Diego, University of California, San Francisco, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Thousand Young Talents Program of China
OpenAlex ID: W2768704196