The Role of MicroRNAs in the Gonocyte Theory As Target of Malignancy: Looking for Potential Diagnostic Biomarkers

Overview

Journal Int J Mol Sci

Publisher MDPI

Specialties Biochemistry
Chemistry
Molecular Biology

Date 2022 Sep 23

PMID 36142439

Authors

Fabiola Garcia-Andrade

Rosa Maria Vigueras-Villasenor

Margarita Dolores Chavez-Saldana

Julio Cesar Rojas-Castaneda

Ivan Uriel Bahena-Ocampo

Elena Arechaga-Ocampo

Jose Diaz-Chavez

Daniel Adrian Landero-Huerta

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Some pediatric patients with cryptorchidism preserve cells with gonocyte characteristics beyond their differentiation period, which could support the theory of the gonocyte as a target for malignancy in the development of testicular neoplasia. One of the key molecules in gonocyte malignancy is represented by microRNAs (miRNAs). The goal of this review is to give an overview of miRNAs, a class of small non-coding RNAs that participate in the regulation of gene expression. We also aim to review the crucial role of several miRNAs that have been further described in the regulation of gonocyte differentiation to spermatogonia, which, when transformed, could give rise to germ cell neoplasia in situ, a precursor lesion to testicular germ cell tumors. Finally, the potential use of miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in testicular neoplasia is addressed, due to their specificity and sensitivity compared to conventional markers, as well as their applications in therapeutics.

Citing Articles

The microRNA-mediated apoptotic signaling axis in male reproduction: a possible and targetable culprit in male infertility.

Yu P, Zhao X, Zhou D, Wang S, Hu Z, Lian K Cell Biol Toxicol. 2025; 41(1):54.

PMID: 40038116 PMC: 11880093. DOI: 10.1007/s10565-025-10006-w.

Insights into the defensive roles of lncRNAs during infection.

Yang Z, Zhou J, Su N, Zhang Z, Chen J, Liu P Front Microbiol. 2024; 15:1330660.

PMID: 38585701 PMC: 10995346. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1330660.

Molecular Characterization of Patients with Cryptorchidism: Preliminary Search for an Expression Profile Related to That of Testicular Germ-Cell Tumors.

Garcia-Andrade F, Vigueras-Villasenor R, Chavez-Saldana M, Rojas-Castaneda J, Bahena-Ocampo I, Arechaga-Ocampo E Diagnostics (Basel). 2023; 13(18).

PMID: 37761387 PMC: 10529510. DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13183020.

References

Bumbasirevic U, Bojanic N, Pljesa-Ercegovac M, Zivkovic M, Djukic T, Zekovic M . The Polymorphisms of Genes Encoding Catalytic Antioxidant Proteins Modulate the Susceptibility and Progression of Testicular Germ Cell Tumor. Cancers (Basel). 2022; 14(4). PMC: 8870690. DOI: 10.3390/cancers14041068. View

Keller A, Groger L, Tschernig T, Solomon J, Laham O, Schaum N . miRNATissueAtlas2: an update to the human miRNA tissue atlas. Nucleic Acids Res. 2021; 50(D1):D211-D221. PMC: 8728130. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab808. View

Pajares M, Alemany-Cosme E, Goni S, Bandres E, Palanca-Ballester C, Sandoval J . Epigenetic Regulation of microRNAs in Cancer: Shortening the Distance from Bench to Bedside. Int J Mol Sci. 2021; 22(14). PMC: 8306710. DOI: 10.3390/ijms22147350. View

Reilley M, Pagliaro L . Testicular choriocarcinoma: a rare variant that requires a unique treatment approach. Curr Oncol Rep. 2015; 17(2):2. DOI: 10.1007/s11912-014-0430-0. View

Rosas Plaza X, van Agthoven T, Meijer C, van Vugt M, de Jong S, Gietema J . miR-371a-3p, miR-373-3p and miR-367-3p as Serum Biomarkers in Metastatic Testicular Germ Cell Cancers Before, During and After Chemotherapy. Cells. 2019; 8(10). PMC: 6830325. DOI: 10.3390/cells8101221. View

Yin Y, Zhu L, Li Q, Zhou P, Ma L . Cullin4 E3 Ubiquitin Ligases Regulate Male Gonocyte Migration, Proliferation and Blood-Testis Barrier Homeostasis. Cells. 2021; 10(10). PMC: 8535100. DOI: 10.3390/cells10102732. View

Kozomara A, Birgaoanu M, Griffiths-Jones S . miRBase: from microRNA sequences to function. Nucleic Acids Res. 2018; 47(D1):D155-D162. PMC: 6323917. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky1141. View

Verkauskas G, Malcius D, Dasevicius D, Hadziselimovic F . Histopathology of Unilateral Cryptorchidism. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2018; 22(1):53-58. DOI: 10.1177/1093526618789300. View

Kristensen D, Skakkebaek N, Rajpert-De Meyts E, Almstrup K . Epigenetic features of testicular germ cell tumours in relation to epigenetic characteristics of foetal germ cells. Int J Dev Biol. 2013; 57(2-4):309-17. DOI: 10.1387/ijdb.130142ka. View

10.

Yuan S, Luan X, Chen H, Shi X, Zhang X . Long non-coding RNA EGFR-AS1 sponges micorRNA-381 to upregulate ROCK2 in bladder cancer. Oncol Lett. 2020; 19(3):1899-1905. PMC: 7039139. DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.11283. View

11.

Boisen K, Kaleva M, Main K, Virtanen H, Haavisto A, Schmidt I . Difference in prevalence of congenital cryptorchidism in infants between two Nordic countries. Lancet. 2004; 363(9417):1264-9. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15998-9. View

12.

Voorhoeve P, le Sage C, Schrier M, Gillis A, Stoop H, Nagel R . A genetic screen implicates miRNA-372 and miRNA-373 as oncogenes in testicular germ cell tumors. Cell. 2006; 124(6):1169-81. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2006.02.037. View

13.

Rajpert-De Meyts E . Developmental model for the pathogenesis of testicular carcinoma in situ: genetic and environmental aspects. Hum Reprod Update. 2006; 12(3):303-23. DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmk006. View

14.

Dieckmann K, Radtke A, Geczi L, Matthies C, Anheuser P, Eckardt U . Serum Levels of MicroRNA-371a-3p (M371 Test) as a New Biomarker of Testicular Germ Cell Tumors: Results of a Prospective Multicentric Study. J Clin Oncol. 2019; 37(16):1412-1423. PMC: 6544462. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.18.01480. View

15.

Almstrup K, Nielsen J, Mlynarska O, JANSEN M, Jorgensen A, Skakkebaek N . Carcinoma in situ testis displays permissive chromatin modifications similar to immature foetal germ cells. Br J Cancer. 2010; 103(8):1269-76. PMC: 2967056. DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6605880. View

16.

Gilad S, Meiri E, Yogev Y, Benjamin S, Lebanony D, Yerushalmi N . Serum microRNAs are promising novel biomarkers. PLoS One. 2008; 3(9):e3148. PMC: 2519789. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003148. View

17.

Schroeder J, Siegmund H, Roesch W, Hadziselimovic F, Hofstaedter F . Male infertility: assessment of juvenile testicular dysfunction and risk for malignancy in cryptorchid boys based on resin section evaluation. Ultrastruct Pathol. 2013; 37(5):373-7. DOI: 10.3109/01913123.2013.818603. View

18.

Aleckovic M, Kang Y . Regulation of cancer metastasis by cell-free miRNAs. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014; 1855(1):24-42. PMC: 4312713. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2014.10.005. View

19.

Zhang L, Ding X, Nie S, Li-Ling J, Zhang Y, Zhang H . Association of hsa-miR‑145 overexpression in human testicular cells with male infertility. Mol Med Rep. 2015; 11(6):4365-72. DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2015.3273. View

20.

Looijenga L, Gillis A, Stoop H, Biermann K, Oosterhuis J . Dissecting the molecular pathways of (testicular) germ cell tumour pathogenesis; from initiation to treatment-resistance. Int J Androl. 2011; 34(4 Pt 2):e234-51. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2605.2011.01157.x. View