Comprehensive assessment of serum 3′-tRFArg as a novel diagnostic biomarker for gastric cancer

Abstract

Gastric cancer is one of the malignant tumors with the highest morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Yet, there is a lack of diagnostic markers with high sensitivity in the clinic. tRNA-derived small RNAs are a novel type of non-coding small RNAs, which are abundant in tumor cells and body fluids. In this study, we explored the potential of 3′-tRF^Arg as a tumor marker for the diagnosis of GC. Differential expression of 3′-tRF^Arg was screened by high-throughput sequencing, and Quantitative real-time PCR confirmed its low expression in GC serum with good stability. Differential expression of serum 3′-tRF^Arg could distinguish between GC patients, gastritis patients, and healthy donors and was significantly correlated with clinical pathological features such as tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and TNM staging. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that 3′-tRF^Arg had a higher diagnostic value compared with conventional biomarkers, especially in the diagnosis of early gastric cancer. In conclusion, our results suggest that 3′-tRF^Arg can serve as a highly sensitive biomarker with a certain value for monitoring tumor development and prognosis.