title: Familial adenomatous patients with desmoid tumours show increased expression of miR-34a in serum and high levels in tumours.
abstract: Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is rare affecting 1 in 10,000 people and a subset (10%) are at risk of myofibroblastic desmoid tumours (DTs) after colectomy to prevent cancer. DTs are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The absence of markers to monitor progression and a lack of treatment options are significant limitations to clinical management. We investigated microRNAs (miRNA) levels in DTs and serum using expression array analysis on two independent cohorts of FAP patients (total, n=24). Each comprised equal numbers of patients who had formed DTs (cases) and those who had not (controls). All controls had absence of DTs confirmed by clinical and radiological assessment over at least three years post- colectomy. Technical qPCR validation was performed using an expanded cohort (29 FAP patients; 16 cases and 13 controls). The most significant elevated serum miRNA marker of DTs was miR-34a-5p and in-situ hybridisation (ISH) showed most DTs analysed (5/6) expressed miRNA-34a-5p. Exome sequencing of tumour and matched germline DNA did not detect mutations within the miR-34a-5p transcript sites or 3'-UTR of target genes that would alter functional miRNA activity. In conclusion, miR-34a-5p is a potential circulatory marker and therapy target. A large prospective world-wide multi-centre study is now warranted.
authors.affiliation: The Polyposis Registry, St Mark's Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow, HA1 3UJ, United Kingdom and Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sarah-Jane
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Walton
authors.affiliation: Centre for Genomics and Child Health and National Centre for Bowel Research and Surgical Innovation, Barts and The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: Centre for Genomics and Child Health and National Centre for Bowel Research and Surgical Innovation, Barts and The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jeffery
authors.affiliation: Centre for Genomics and Child Health and National Centre for Bowel Research and Surgical Innovation, Barts and The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Department of Histopathology, The Royal London Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Feakins
authors.affiliation: Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia; The University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giannoulatou
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yau
authors.affiliation: Centre for Genomics and Child Health and National Centre for Bowel Research and Surgical Innovation, Barts and The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: James O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Lindsay
authors.affiliation: The Polyposis Registry, St Mark's Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow, HA1 3UJ, United Kingdom and Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Susan K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Centre for Genomics and Child Health and National Centre for Bowel Research and Surgical Innovation, Barts and The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Silver
keywords: Wnt pathway; desmoid tumour; familial adenomatous polyposis; miRNA-34a-5p; microRNA