Differential Expression of miRNAs Contributes to Tumor Aggressiveness and Racial Disparity in African American Men with Prostate Cancer

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the leading cancer in incidence and second leading cause of cancer mortality in US men. Recent data showed a 3% increase in PCa incidence rate each year from 2014 through 2019. African American (AA) men have 1.6-fold higher incidence and 2.2-fold higher PC mortality rates than European American (EA) men. Growing evidence shows that miRNAs are closely associated with aggressiveness and racial disparity in prostate cancer and might facilitate the prediction of prognosis and a treatment plan. In this study, we identified differentially expressed miRNAs, which are significantly correlated with the aggressiveness and health disparity of prostate cancer. These findings may assist personalized medicine, suggesting miRNAs as promising biomarkers for prostate cancer, especially in African American men. ABSTRACT: Prostate cancer is the leading cancer in incidence and second leading cause of cancer mortality in US men. African American men have significantly higher incidence and mortality rates from prostate cancer than European American men. Previous studies reported that the disparity in prostate cancer survival or mortality can be explained by different biological backgrounds. microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression of their cognate mRNAs in many cancers. Therefore, miRNAs may be a potentially promising diagnostic tool. The role of miRNAs in prostate cancer aggressiveness and racial disparity has not been fully established. The goal of this study is to identify miRNAs associated with aggressiveness and racial disparity in prostate cancer. Here we report miRNAs that are associated with tumor status and aggressiveness in prostate cancer using a profiling approach. Further, downregulated miRNAs in African American tissues were confirmed by qRT-PCR. These miRNAs have also been shown to negatively regulate the expression of the androgen receptor in prostate cancer cells. This report provides a novel insight into understanding tumor aggressiveness and racial disparities of prostate cancer.