Identification Of Hsa-Mir-21 As A Target Gene Of Tumorigenesis In Neuroblastoma

MicroRNAs (miRNA) have a crucial role in tumorigenesis. We used genome-wide analysis of miRNA expression in neuroblastoma (NB) to identify novel targets for the further study of NB. Genome-wide analysis of miRNA expression in NB, fetal adrenal and normal adrenal tissues was conducted using a miRNAs microarray. The differential expressions of miRNAs were identified through fold-change filtering. Gene ontology and pathway analyses were performed using the standard enrichment computation method. Target miRNA correlated to embryonic development and tumorigenesis of NB was screened through bioinformatics. We found 30 miRNAs that were upregulated > 2-fold in the order NB > embryonic adrenal tissues > normal adrenal tissues. The predicted target genes of miRNAs involved in embryonic and tumorigenic related signal pathways were selected, including has-miR-21, -153, -155 and -24. The expression of has-miR-21 in NB tissues was significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared to fetal and normal adrenal tissues. Has-miR-21 is an important miRNAs related to embryonic development and the pathogenesis of NB.