• Bioinformatics study of the role of miR-21 in colorectal cancer tumorigenesis
  • Maryam Meftah,1 Narges Dastmalchi,2 Nasim Rahimi Farsi,3,*
    1. University college of Nabi Akram,Tabriz , Iran
    2. University college of Nabi Akram,Tabriz , Iran
    3. University college of Nabi Akram,Tabriz , Iran


  • Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the growth of cancer cells in the colon or rectum (part of the large intestine). The disease is caused by abnormal growth of cells that can invade or multiply in other tissues in the body. 1.5 million new cases of this disease are reported annually in the world and it is one of the most common cancers after skin, breast and stomach cancers. MicroRNAs (microRNAs) are short single-stranded sequences about 18 to 25 nucleotides in size and are responsible for regulating the expression of genes called epigenetic alterations. MicroRNAs can be tumor inhibitors or oncogenes, miR-21, depending on the type of mRNA they inhibit. It stimulates, proliferates and invades cells and inhibits apoptosis. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluate the bioinformatics role of miR-21-3p and miR-21-5p in the tumorigenic pathway of colorectal cancer.
  • Methods: In this study, target miRNAs are extracted from Target scan, Vir-Mir, Miranda and miRNA path bioinformatics databases and the sequence and properties of miRNAs are investigated. The RNA22 bioinformatics database is then used to predict the target miRNA and used to confirm the predictions made. Thus, by inserting the miRNA sequence obtained from the miRBase site and the desired gene sequence obtained from the NCBI site, in the FASTA format, the complementary relationship between the miRNA and the target gene is determined based on the P value. The P-value indicates the possibility of accidentally binding to the target miRNA; The lower the value of p-p, the more significant it is and indicates that miRNA has a better chance of binding to the target gene. Finally, data analysis will be performed using SPSS software and a significant P value of less than 0.05 will be defined.
  • Results: The bioinformatic evaluation performed in this study showed that 21-miR is an increased oncogene in colorectal cancer, which can play a role in metastasis and disease invasion by affecting some molecular targets involved in signaling pathways.
  • Conclusion: high levels of 21-miR are associated with poor prognosis and lower survival of patients with the disease. Therefore, 21-miR can be used as a suitable and effective biomarker in determining prognosis as well as treatment response; Because this microRNA plays a role in the clinical sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer.
  • Keywords: Rectal Cancer - Biomarker - Algorithm