Abstract
Background: Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) are non-invasive precursor lesions of pancreatic cancer. Misexpression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is commonly observed in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In contrast, miRNA abnormalities in pancreatic cancer precursor lesions have not been documented.
Experimental Design: Relative expression levels of a panel of twelve miRNAs upregulated in pancreatic cancers were assessed in 15 non-invasive IPMNs, using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Two significantly overexpressed miRNAs - miR-155 and miR-21 - were evaluated by locked nucleic acid in situ hybridization (LNA-ISH) in a panel of 64 archival IPMNs. The expression of miR-155 and miR-21 was also evaluated in pancreatic juice samples obtained from 10 patients with surgically resected IPMNs and five patients with non-neoplastic pancreato-biliary disorders ("disease controls').
Results: Significant overexpression by qRT-PCR of ten of the twelve miRNAs was observed in the 15 IPMNs versus matched controls (P