Circulating lncRNA SNHG11 as a novel biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer. Issue 10 (23rd November 2019) - Xu, Wei
Abstract : Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Emerging evidence indicates that tumour cells release substantial amounts of RNA into the bloodstream, in which RNA strongly resists RNases and is present at sufficient levels for quantitative analyses. Our study aimed to discover blood‐based markers for the early detection of CRC and to ascertain their efficiency in discriminating healthy controls, patients with polyps and adenomas and cancer patients. We first analysed and screened ZFAS1, SNHG11, LINC00909 and LINC00654 in a bioinformatics database and then collected clinical plasma samples for preliminary small‐scale analysis and further large‐scale verification. We then explored the mechanism of dominant lncRNA SNHG11 expression in CRC by in vitro and in vivo assays. The combination of ZFAS1, SNHG11, LINC00909 and LINC00654 showed high diagnostic performance for CRC (AUC: 0.937), especially early‐stage disease (AUC: 0.935). Plasma levels of the four candidate lncRNAs were significantly reduced in postoperative samples compared to preoperative samples. A panel including these four lncRNAs performed well in distinguishing patient groups with different stages of colon disease, and SNHG11 exhibited the greatest diagnostic ability to identify precancerous lesions and early‐stage tumour formation. Mechanistically, high SNHG11 expression promotes proliferation and metastasis by targeting the Hippo pathway. Taken together, the data indicate that SNHG11 may be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of CRC and a potential biomarker for the early detection of CRC. Abstract : What's new? Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) released by tumour cells can enter the human circulatory system to form stable circulating entities. Here, the authors systematically assessed the diagnostic value of serum ZFAS1, SNHG11, LINC00909, and LINC00654 levels in healthy controls and patients with precancerous lesions or colorectal cancer and found dramatically decreased levels after surgical resection. The four lncRNA‐panel performed well in distinguishing patient groups with different stages of colon disease, with SNHG11 exhibiting the greatest diagnostic ability to identify precancerous lesions and early‐stage tumour formation. These lncRNAs, especially SNHG11, may serve as non‐invasive biomarkers for the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.