Evaluation of miR-362 Expression in Astrocytoma of Human Brain Tumors

Abstract

Background: Patients affected by gliomas have a poor prognosis. Astrocytoma is a subtype of glioma. Identification of biomarkers could be an effective way to an early diagnosis of tumor or to distinguish more aggressive tumors that need more intensive therapy. In this study, we investigated whether the expression of miR-362 was increased or decreased in patients with different grades of astrocytoma. Materials and Methods: miR-362 expression was compared in 25 patients with astrocytoma with that of 4 normal nonneoplastic brain tissues. Results: In all tumor tissues, the expression of miR-362 was significantly decreased relative to its expression in normal brain tissues. However, there was no significant difference between miR-362 expressions in high and low grades of astrocytoma. Conclusions: In conclusion, miR-362 showed a down-regulation pattern in astrocytoma tissues that was different from the pattern obtained from previously published microarray studies.