Metastasis-associated microRNA expression in canine uveal melanoma

BackgroundUveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular tumour in dogs. There is no effective means of predicting whether a tumour will metastasize. microRNA (miRNA) metastasis signatures have been identified for several human cancers, including UM. AimsIn this study we investigated whether metastasizing and non-metastasizing canine UMs can be distinguished by miRNA expression levels. Materials and Methods miRNA microarray profiling was used to compare miRNA expression in 8 metastasizing and 12 non-metastasizing formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) primary UM biopsies. ResultsFourteen miRNAs exhibited statistically significant differences in expression between the metastasizing and non-metastasizing tumours. Class prediction analysis pinpointed 9 miRNAs which categorized tumours as metastasizing or non-metastasizing with an accuracy of 89%. Of the discriminating miRNAs, 8 were up-regulated in metastasizing UM, and included 3 miRNAs implicated as potential metastasis activators in human cutaneous melanoma. The expression of 4 of the miRNAs was subsequently measured using the quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and their up-regulation in metastasizing tumours validated. Conclusion miRNA expression profiles may potentially be used to identify UMs that will metastasize, and miRNAs that are up-regulated in metastasizing tumours may be targets for therapeutic intervention.