miR-564 and miR-718 expressions are downregulated in colorectal cancer tissues

Abstract Objectives MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNAs that are involved in regulating gene expression and have an important role in biological pathways such as differentiation, migration, cell proliferation, and other cellular processes. Previous studies have shown that miR-564 and miR-718 are either downregulated or upregulated in various cancers. The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of expression of miR-564 and miR-718 in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients’ tumor and non-tumor tissues. Methods The study group consisted of tumor and non-tumor tissues obtained from a total of 80 CRC patients. The expression levels of miRNAs were determined using quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR). Additionally, using bioinformatics analysis, the transcription factors (TFs) that are associated with miR-564 and miR-718 were identified as well as the GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment pathway analysis of these miRNAs. Results According to the findings of RT-qPCR, both miR-564 and miR-718 expression levels were significantly downregulated in CRC (p<0.001). There was a statistically significant correlation between the expression levels of miR-564 and miR-718 (p=0.006). Both miR-564 and miR-718 regulated TFs including E2F1, HIFIA, BRD4, KDM2B, ESR1, MYC, PHF8, RUNX1, TCF12 and YY1. According to KEGG analysis, miR-564 and miR-718 were associated with Hippo and FoxO signaling pathways, respectively (p<0.05). Conclusions miR-564 and miR-718 may have function as tumor suppressors and may be biomarkers for the diagnosis of CRC.