Identification of Circular RNAs as Biomarkers in Head and Neck Cancer Cells and Investigation of The Effects of Radiotherapy on These Biomarkers
Project no. 22939 · Status: Kapanmış · 2021
Summary
Objective: As with all cancers, early detection plays an important role in the treatment of head and neck cancer, and early detection of cancer is of great importance for long-term survival. According to this background, the expression level of circular RNA (circRNA) molecules, which are currently being investigated as promising biomarkers for all types of cancer, in head and neck cancer cells, and the effects of radiation on circRNAs will be investigated. Material and Methods: For this purpose, under the vitro conditions, comparative expression levels of circRNA molecules using a throat cancer cell line (Detroit-562), an irradiated cancer cell line (Detroit-562), and a healthy lung fibroblast cell line (WI-38) was investigated. The real-time quantitative PCR method PCR (RT-qPCR) was used for this study. Bioinformatic analyzes of circRNAs with significantly different expression levels were carried out. Results: A total of 122 circRNA genes were examined in this study. As a result, it was found that 62 different circRNA genes were expressed in at least one of the cell lines. In addition, 60 circRNA genes were not expressed in any of the cell lines. Of these, 33 circRNA genes were only expressed in healthy cell lines, 4 only in irradiated cancer cells and 1 only in cancer cells. Two circRNAs with a common expression were detected in irradiated and nonirradiated cancer cells. In addition, 3 circRNA molecules were found in cancer cells and healthy cell lines and 12 in irradiated cancer cells and healthy cells. The common expression in all cell lines was detected in 7 circRNA molecules. Conclusion: CircRNAs with significantly different gene expression levels have been identified as potential biomarker candidates that can be used in diagnosis and / or treatment. 1) The fact that the hsa_circ_0000649 gene, which was only expressed in the cancer cell line, was not expressed in either the healthy cell line or the cancer cell line after irradiation, suggests that this circRNA could be a potential biomarker candidate for diagnosis and treatment. 2) The fact that the expression levels of the genes hsa_circ_0046263 and hsa_circ_0001368, which are commonly expressed in cancer cell lines and healthy cell lines, especially in head and neck cancer cell lines, suggests that these genes have diagnostic potential as biomarkers. 3) It suggests that radiation can transform cancer cells into healthy cells. The main reasons for this are the findings such as the lack of expression of circRNA genes, which are XI expressed jointly in the irradiated cancer cell line and the healthy cell line in the cancer cell line, that these genes are detected after irradiation and also in healthy cell lines. In the context of the effects of radiation therapy on cells, the detection of higher expression levels of these genes than in healthy cells is considered. 4) With the reference from this study, circRNA’s were identified as potential biomarker candidates so that they can be used as tumor markers in the early detection and treatment of head and neck tumors and also provide a complete understanding of the mechanisms of radiation sensitivity / radiation resistance. We believe that these circRNAs should be supported by patient tissue and / or fluid samples as well as by in vivo studies.