Exploring the clinical application and biological function of novel tsRNA tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is a highly fatal cancer, which is the most common malignant tumor globally. Recently, tRNA-derived small RNA (tsRNA) is a type of non-coding RNA that is closely related to various diseases. However, their precise existence and function in HCC remain unclear. We investigated the role of a novel tsRNA tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 in HCC.

Methods

We screened novel tsRNAs in the TCGA database. There are significant differences in tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 expression in HCC compared with other digestive system tumors. qRT-PCR was applied to confirm the level of tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 in 150 HCC patients, 50 patients with benign liver lesions, and 120 healthy controls. tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 mimics was constructed to transfect HCC cells and explore the effect of tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 on malignant phenotype of HCC. Bioinformatics analysis was used to predict the potential regulatory pathways of tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 in HCC.

Results

(1) tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 is down-regulated in HCC. (2) qRT-PCR detection tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 had high sensitivity and specificity. (3) Low-expressed tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 was related to TNM stage, differentiation, and LNM, and the ROC curve indicated that tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 had a better diagnostic performance for HCC. (4) tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 inhibits the proliferation and migration of HCC through the PLCB1/Wnt axis.

Conclusions

tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 can work as an auxiliary biomarker for HCC diagnosis. Over-expression of tsRNA-Asp-5–0002 restrains the malignant process of HCC, which may offer fresh tactics for the adjuvant treatment of HCC.