BCR-ABL gene expression | Acta Medica Marisiensis

The impact of microRNA-596 on oral cancer: Insights into tumor biology and treatment strategies

Shereen Farhana P¹, Ameya K P², Ashikha Shirin Usman P P², Durairaj Sekar²

1. Department of Prosthodontics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Science (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, India
2. RNA Biology Lab, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Science (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, India

DOI: 10.2478/amma-2025-0007

Objectives: Despite advancements in treatment, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a major global health issue with stagnant survival rates. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), particularly miR-596, play critical roles in cancer, acting as both oncogenes and tumor suppressors. This study aims to clarify miR-596’s function in OSCC and assess its potential as a therapeutic target or diagnostic biomarker.
Methods: A thorough bioinformatics analysis utilising information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) led to the selection of miR-596 for investigation. After extracting its sequence from miRBase, RNAfold was used to evaluate the secondary structure’s functional characteristics. MiRNA expression levels were measured by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) on a total of 30 tissue samples, including OSCC and healthy controls. With TargetScan, the miR-596 gene targets were predicted.
Results: miR-596 is significantly downregulated in OSCC tissues compared to healthy controls. TargetScan analysis indicates that miR-596 regulates key genes involved in cell proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis, suggesting its crucial role in these pathways. Additionally, the predicted secondary structure of miR-596 indicates high stability.
Conclusion: Based on its activity as a tumor suppressor, the study suggests that miR-596 may be an important factor in the development of OSCC. Its potential use as a therapeutic target or diagnostic biomarker is highlighted by the downregulation of miR-596 in OSCC. Validating these results and investigating the therapeutic applications of miR-596 in OSCC treatment require more investigation.

Improvement of Risk Stratification in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients by the Determination of the BCR-ABL Gene Expression

Horváth Adrienne¹, Baghiu Maria Despina¹, Pávai Z², Pap Zsuzsanna², Chinceșan Mihaela¹, Koncsag E¹

1 Department of Pediatrics I, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania
2 Department of Morphopathology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tîrgu Mureș, Romania

Introduction: The BCR-ABL fusion gene [t(9;22) (q34;q11)] occurs in 3–5% of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and predicts a very poor prognosis.
Material and methods: 2 ml samples of bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) in EDTA tubes from 24 ALL patients were examined in the molecular biology laboratory of our university with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) method for BCR-ABL gene expression. Prognostic factors, like age, leucocyte count, lymphoblast morphology and immunology, absolute lymphoblast count on day 8, remission status on day 33 as well as treatment results were recorded from every patient.
Results: All 24 qRT-PCR analysis for major and minor BCR-ABL gene expression from BM and PB were negative. Immunophenotyping performed in 25 patients revealed common B ALL in 12 patients, T-cell immunology in 3 and pre-B immunophenotype with aberrant myeloid marker expression and/or CD10 negativity in 11 patients. L1 morphology appeared in 85.7% of the pre-B ALL cases, while other immunophenotypes were more likely associated with L2 cytology (62.5%) (p=0.033). Early cortisone response was favourable in 22 patients, all 26 patients achieved complete remission on day 33. Common B immunophenotype was associated with lower WBC (mean 37,770, median 8,200) than other immunophenotypes (WBC mean 63,783, median 50,680).
Conclusions: A new method, the qRT-PCR test was introduced in the investigation of pediatric ALL in our university from 2010. We found a statistically significant correlation between L1 blast morphology and common B immunophenotype. Poor cortisone response was found more frequently in T-cell ALL and pre-B ALL with aberrant myeloid markers or CD10 negativity. All our patients achieved complete remission on day 33. Lower WBC count at presentation was associated with L1 morphology and pre-B immunophenotype.