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Differential expression of miRNAs in the seminal plasma and serum of testicular cancer patients

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Abstract

Various microRNAs from the miR-371-3 and miR-302a–d clusters have recently been proposed as markers for testicular germ cell tumours. Upregulation of these miRNAs has been found in both the tissue and serum of testicular cancer patients, but they have never been studied in human seminal plasma. The aim of this study was, therefore, to assess the differences in the expression of miR-371-3 and miR-302a–d between the seminal plasma and serum of testicular cancer patients, and to identify new potential testicular cancer markers in seminal plasma. We investigated the serum and seminal plasma of 28 pre-orchiectomy patients subsequently diagnosed with testicular cancer, the seminal plasma of another 20 patients 30 days post-orchiectomy and a control group consisting of 28 cancer-free subjects attending our centre for an andrological check-up. Serum microRNA expression was analysed using RT-qPCR. TaqMan Array Card 3.0 platform was used for microRNA profiling in the seminal plasma of cancer patients. Results for both miR-371-3 and the miR-302 cluster in the serum of testicular cancer patients were in line with literature reports, while miR-371and miR-372 expression in seminal plasma showed the opposite trend to serum. On array analysis, 37 miRNAs were differentially expressed in the seminal plasma of cancer patients, and the upregulated miR-142 and the downregulated miR-34b were validated using RT-qPCR. Our study investigated the expression of miRNAs in the seminal plasma of patients with testicular cancer for the first time. Unlike in serum, miR-371-3 cannot be considered as markers in seminal plasma, whereas miR-142 levels in seminal plasma may be a potential marker for testicular cancer.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Marie-Hélène Hayles for her assistance in the English translation of the manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Italian Ministry of Education and Research (MIUR-PRIN) and the University of Rome “La Sapienza” Faculty of Medicine.

Author contributions

L.G., D.P.: Conception and design of the work. M.P., G.C.: Carried out the molecular genetic studies. L.G., D.P.: Drafting the article. L.G.: Final approval of the version to be published. M.P., F.P., G.C.: Acquisition and analysis of data. F.L., A.L., F.P.: Revising the paper critically. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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  1. Laboratory of Seminology-Sperm Bank, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Roma, Italy

    Marianna Pelloni, Giulia Coltrinari, Donatella Paoli, Francesco Pallotti, Francesco Lombardo, Andrea Lenzi & Loredana Gandini

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  1. Marianna Pelloni
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Pelloni, M., Coltrinari, G., Paoli, D. et al. Differential expression of miRNAs in the seminal plasma and serum of testicular cancer patients. Endocrine 57, 518–527 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-016-1150-z

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