piRNome of human endometrioid ovarian carcinoma

Abstract

PIWI‐interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a recently discovered class of small non‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs) of 24–32 nts length initially identified in germlines. More recently, these ncRNAs have been detected in several human cancer cells as well as in somatic cells which suggest that piRNAs play diverse roles by controlling gene expression in these cells. In this study, we explored the expression and function of piRNA pathways in human endometrioid ovarian carcinoma (ENOCa). ENOCa is the second most common type of epithelial ovarian cancer, the most lethal gynecological malignancy ranking fifth in leading cause of cancer‐related deaths among women. To date, effective screening strategies and biomarkers have not been developed for epithelial ovarian cancer. ncRNAs have been proven promising biomarkers for different cancer types. In this work we have investigated and identified the repertoire of piRNAs in ENOCa through small RNA sequencing (sRNA‐seq) of post‐operated tissue samples of this carcinoma and normal epithelial ovarian tissue. Our analysis revealed 3143 and 2194 known piRNAs in ENOCa and epithelial ovarian tissue respectively. The differential expression analysis showed 49 significantly expressed piRNAs in ENOCa compared to the normal control. Further investigations are underway to evaluate the role these piRNAs in specific biological processes leading to ENOCa