Analysis of whole genome-wide microRNA transcriptome profiling in invasive pituitary adenomas and non-invasive pituitary adenomas

BACKGROUND: Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) plays a critical role during the occurrence and progress of pituitary adenomas (PAs). However, the roles of miRNAs in the invasiveness of PA are poorly understood. This study aims to more comprehensively and specific define the relationship between altered miRNA and PA invasion. METHODS: The differential expression of miRNAs (DEMs) between invasive PAs (IPAs) and non-invasive PAs (NPAs) was explored by RNA sequencing and which functions were analyzed by gene ontology (GO) as well as Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The miRNA-mRNA network was predicted with bioinformatics. RESULTS: We identified 31 upregulated miRNAs and 24 downregulated miRNAs in IPAs compared with NPAs. GO analysis and KEGG pathway analysis showed the DEMs were mainly associated with cell proliferation and cell cycle pathway. In addition, on the count of predicted miRNA-mRNA network, two hub miRNAs were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate the miRNA-mRNA network in detail, which suggest that miRNA may be a promising target in diagnosis and therapy for IPAs.