Co-expression of miRNA players in advanced laryngeal carcinoma – Insights into the roles of miR-93-5p, miR-145-5p, and miR-210-3p

Silva Kyurkchiyan; Veronika Petkova; Gergana Stancheva; Iglika Stancheva; Stoyan Dimitrov; Venera Dobriyanova; Diana Popova; Radka Kaneva; Todor Miroslavov Popov

doi:10.17305/bb.2024.10947

Authors

Silva Kyurkchiyan Molecular Medicine Center, Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
Veronika Petkova Molecular Medicine Center, Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
Gergana Stancheva Molecular Medicine Center, Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4359-9618
Iglika Stancheva Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment "Tsaritsa Yoanna - ISUL”, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0905-8746
Stoyan Dimitrov Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment "Tsaritsa Yoanna - ISUL”, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6769-3268
Venera Dobriyanova Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment "Tsaritsa Yoanna - ISUL”, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
Diana Popova Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment "Tsaritsa Yoanna - ISUL”, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
Radka Kaneva Molecular Medicine Center, Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
Todor Miroslavov Popov Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment "Tsaritsa Yoanna - ISUL”, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8205-3573

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17305/bb.2024.10947

Keywords:

laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, miRNA, miR-93-5p, miR-145-5p, miR-210-3p, co-expression, in silico, Gene Ontology annotation

Abstract

Advanced laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is the second most prevalent type of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Identifying microRNAs (miRNAs) related to key regulatory molecules or mechanisms could offer an alternative approach to developing new treatment strategies. The aim of our study is to evaluate significant correlations among deregulated miRNAs in advanced laryngeal carcinoma and to analyze, in silico, their strength of association, targets, and the most deregulated pathways. Several miRNAs demonstrated promising co-expression results, specifically miR-93-5p, miR-145-5p, and miR-210-3p. Their expressions were explored and further validated in a large set of in vivo advanced LSCC samples, which were subsequently used for bioinformatics and enrichment analyses. Our results highlight the significant roles of miR-93-5p, miR-145-5p, and miR-210-3p in regulating major pathways linked to the cell cycle via epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), PI3K/Akt signaling, hypoxia, metabolism, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis. The associations between the expressions of these miRNAs and patients' clinical features could be central to the progression of advanced LSCC. Overall, our study provides important insights into the co-expression and regulatory networks of miR-93-5p, miR-145-5p, and miR-210-3p in advanced laryngeal carcinoma, underscoring their potential as therapeutic targets or biomarkers for this aggressive cancer. Further research is needed to elucidate the specific mechanisms through which these miRNAs contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of laryngeal carcinoma.