Abstract 2377: microRNA expression profile in urinary exosomes is dependent on non-invasive lymphoma induction in mice

Abstract

Lymphoma accounts for approximately 4% of cancers in the United States, with an estimated 20,910 number of deaths per year. The standard method of diagnosis and staging of lymphoma involves surgical biopsy of the tumor - a procedure that has many negative associated risks. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles secreted in biological fluids that can serve as “liquid biomarkers”. Identification of unique cancer-related biomarkers in urinary exosomes may provide a novel non-invasive and cost-effective tool for lymphoma diagnosis. Analyses of biomarkers obtained from urinary exosomes have been used to evaluate urological cancers, however, these methods have not yet been translated to non-urological pathologies, such as lymphomas. The objective for this study was to determine the profile of microRNAs (miRNAs) expressed in urinary exosomes of mice challenged with lymphoma and compare it to miRNAs identified in urinary exosomes of control mice. Male and female C57BL/6 mice, (tumor (+), n=12), were injected with either 2.5x105 mouse EL-4 lymphoma cells or phosphate-buffered saline (tumor (-), n=12). Tumor growth was monitored for 20 days. Urine was collected for 48 hours starting on day 17 and serum, tumor tissues, and organs were collected on day 20. Extraction of urinary exosomes was followed by total RNA isolation and RT-qPCR for which a set of PCR arrays consisting of 709 mouse-specific miRNA primers was used. Fold changes in miRNA expression were quantified using the ΔΔCt method. Mice developed tumors by day 13 with initial tumor appearance around day seven. There were no statistically significant differences between final tumor mass, body weight, or food and water intake in tumor (+) versus tumor (-) mice. RT-qPCR arrays of miRNAs extracted from urinary exosomes revealed 464 miRNAs that were differentially expressed between tumor (+) and tumor (-). 215 miRNAs were up-regulated, while 249 miRNAs were down-regulated in tumor (+) mice. These results will be compared to miRNAs from serum and tumor tissues to identify tumor-specific miRNAs that can be used for potential application in the clinical setting. Citation Format: Brittany Wilson, Rebekah Betar, Alexander Martin, Zackaria Niazi, Michael Boyer, Lori Winter, Victor Babich, Francesca Di Sole, Elitsa Ananieva. microRNA expression profile in urinary exosomes is dependent on non-invasive lymphoma induction in mice [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2377.