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MicroRNA Expression Differentiates Squamous Epithelium from Barrett’s Esophagus and Esophageal Cancer

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Abstract

Background

Current strategies fail to identify most patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) before the disease becomes advanced and incurable. Given the dismal prognosis associated with EAC, improvements in detection of early-stage esophageal neoplasia are needed.

Aim

We sought to assess whether differential expression of microRNAs could discriminate between squamous epithelium, Barrett’s esophagus (BE), and EAC.

Methods

We analyzed microRNA expression in a discovery cohort of human endoscopic biopsy samples from 36 patients representing normal squamous esophagus (n = 11), BE (n = 14), and high-grade dysplasia/EAC (n = 11). RNA was assessed using microarrays representing 847 human microRNAs followed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) verification of nine microRNAs. In a second cohort (n = 18), qRT-PCR validation of five miRNAs was performed. Expression of 59 microRNAs associated with BE/EAC in the literature was assessed in our training cohort. Known esophageal cell lines were used to compare miRNA expression to tissue miRNAs.

Results

After controlling for multiple comparisons, we found 34 miRNAs differentially expressed between squamous esophagus and BE/EAC by microarray analysis. However, miRNA expression did not reliably differentiate non-dysplastic BE from EAC. In the validation cohort, all five microRNAs selected for qRT-PCR validation differentiated between squamous samples and BE/EAC. Microarray results supported 14 of the previously reported microRNAs associated with BE/EAC in the literature. Cell lines did not generally reflect miRNA expression found in vivo.

Conclusions

These data indicate that miRNAs differ between squamous esophageal epithelium and BE/EAC, but do not distinguish between BE and EAC. We suggest prospective evaluation of miRNAs in patients at high risk for EAC.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by an American College of Gastroenterology Junior Faculty Development Award (KG) and by the Emeline Brown Cancer Genomics Research Fund (KG). Support was also from the National Cancer Institute U54CA163060 (NS).

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, DUMC 3913, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Katherine S. Garman, Anna Mae Diehl & Dawn Provenzale

  2. Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27705, USA

    Katherine S. Garman, Elizabeth R. Hauser & Dawn Provenzale

  3. VA North Texas Health Care System, Dallas, TX, USA

    Rhonda F. Souza

  4. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Rhonda F. Souza

  5. University North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd., CB 7080, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7080, USA

    Nicholas J. Shaheen

  6. Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, DUMC 2721, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Kouros Owzar

  7. Center for Human Genetics, Duke University, DUMC 3445, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Elizabeth R. Hauser

  8. Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Duke Box 93695, Durham, NC, 27708, USA

    Kristen Westfall

  9. Center for Human Genetics, Duke University, 905 S. LaSalle St. GSRB1, Rm 3044, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Blair R. Anderson

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  1. Katherine S. Garman
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Correspondence to Katherine S. Garman.

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Garman, K.S., Owzar, K., Hauser, E.R. et al. MicroRNA Expression Differentiates Squamous Epithelium from Barrett’s Esophagus and Esophageal Cancer. Dig Dis Sci 58, 3178–3188 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-013-2806-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-013-2806-7

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