Reduced expression of microRNA-139-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma results in a poor outcome: An exploration the roles of microRNA-139-5p in tumorigenesis, advancement and prognosis at the molecular biological level using an integrated meta-analysis and bioinformatic investigation

• Published in: Oncology letters 2019-12, Vol.18 (6), p.6704-6724
• Main Authors: Qin, Hui, Wen, Dong-Yue, Que, Qiao, Zhou, Chuan-Yang, Wang, Xiao-Dong, Peng, Yu-Ting, He, Yun, Yang, Hong, Liao, Bo-Ming
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Kinases; Liver cancer; Medical prognosis; Meta-analysis; MicroRNAs; Mortality; Oncology
• ISSN: 1792-1074; 1792-1082
• DOI: 10.3892/ol.2019.11031

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is generally considered one of the most common gastrointestinal malignant tumors, characterized by high invasiveness and metastatic rate, as well as insidious onset. A relationship between carcinogenicity and aberrant microRNA-139-5p (miR-139-5p) expression has been identified in multiple tumors while the specific molecular mechanisms of miR-139-5p in HCC have not yet been thoroughly elucidated. A meta-analysis of available data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus, ArrayExpress and Oncomine databases, as well as the published literature, was comprehensively conducted with the aim of examining the impact of miR-139-5p expression on HCC. Additionally, predicted downstream target genes were confirmed using a series of bioinformatics tools. Moreover, a correlative biological analysis was performed to ascertain the precise function of miR-139-5p in HCC. The results revealed that the expression of miR-139-5p was noticeably lower in HCC compared with non-tumor liver tissues according to the pooled standard mean difference, which was -0.84 [95% confidence interval (CI): -1.36 to -0.32; P