MicroRNA expression profiling of RAS-mutant thyroid tumors with follicular architecture: microRNA signatures to discriminate benign from malignant lesions

Purpose RAS mutations represent common driver alterations in thyroid cancer.

They can be found in benign, low-risk and malignant thyroid tumors with follicular architecture, which are often diagnosed as indeterminate nodules on preoperative cytology.

Therefore, the detection of RAS mutations in preoperative setting has a suboptimal predictive value for malignancy.

In this study, we investigated differentially expressed microRNA (miRNA) in benign and malignant thyroid tumors with follicular architecture carrying mutations in RAS genes.

Methods Total RNA was purified from 60 RAS -mutant follicular-patterned thyroid tumors, including follicular adenoma (FA), noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP), papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma cases (PTC, FTC); 22 RAS -negative FAs were used as controls.

The expression analysis of 798 miRNAs was performed by digital counting (nCounter nanoString platform).

Results Comparing RAS -mutant and RAS -negative FAs, 12 miRNAs showed significant deregulation, which was likely related to the oncogenic effects of RAS mutations.

Twenty-two miRNAs were differentially expressed in RAS -mutant benign versus malignant tumors.

Considering the tumor type, 24 miRNAs were deregulated in PTC, 19 in NIFTP, and seven in FTC and compared to FA group; among these, miR-146b-5p , miR-144-3p , and miR-451a showed consistent deregulation in all the comparisons with the highest fold change.

Conclusions The miRNA expression analysis of follicular-patterned thyroid tumors demonstrated that RAS mutations influences miRNA profile in benign tumors.

In addition, several miRNAs showed a histotype-specific deregulation and could discriminate between RAS -mutant benign and RAS -mutant malignant thyroid lesions, thus deserving further investigation as potential diagnostic markers.