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Rectal cancer is the most common malignant tumor in the digestive system with rapidly metastasis and highly recurrence. Agrin (AGRN) is a proteoglycan involving in a large number of human cancers. However, how AGRN regulates the progression of rectal cancer remains largely unknown. We aimed to determine the biological role of AGRN and its mechanism in rectal cancer. AGRN expression in rectal cancer tissues was detected based on TCGA. The survival curve was plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method. qRT-PCR and western blot were utilized to examine the expression level of AGRN in cells. Cell proliferation, clonogenic ability, invasion, and migration of rectal cancer cells were analyzed by CCK-8, colony formation and transwell experiments. GSEA was employed for the analysis of the potential pathways-related with AGRN in rectal cancer. The activity of WNT pathway was determined by western blot. AGRN expression was dramatically increased in rectal cancer, and its up-regulation was associated with poorer prognosis of rectal cancer patients. AGRN expression was an independent factor for the prognosis of rectal cancer. AGRN inhibition suppressed rectal cancer cell growth, invasion, and migration, whereas AGRN overexpression facilitated these behaviors of rectal cancer cells

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate target genes. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in a miRNA sequence may alter miRNA expression and/or maturation, which was proposed to associate with the development and progression of cancer. The rs895819 polymorphism, located in the terminal loop of pre-miR-27a, has been reported to have relevance to several cancers. In this study, we investigated the possibility of association between polymorphism in rs895819 and susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: We identified a single SNP, rs895819 in pre-miR-27a, for further investigation, were determined in 205 CRC patients and 455 healthy controls. Results: When taking the AA genotype as a reference, we found that AG genotype was not statistically significantly associated with the risk of CRC (AG vs. AA, OR 1.245, 95% CI: 0.806 – 1.923). However, the GG genotype was significantly associated with risk of CRC (GG vs. AA, OR 1.599, 95% CI: 1.052 – 2.430). In the AG + GG vs GG group, no significant difference was detected (OR 1.424, 95% CI, 0.974 – 1.801). GG genotype and G allele was associated with an increased risk of metastasis in this study (P < 0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively). Conclusions: This study found significant association between rs895819 polymorphism in pre-miR-27a and CRC risk. Population-based studies with large number of subjects and long-term follow-up are needed to verify the association of miR-27a polymorphism with CRC susceptibility and severity. Virtual Slides: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/ 2061490734125077