Title
PUM1 and RNase P genes as potential cell-free DNA markers in breast cancer
Date Issued
01 April 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Abstract
Background: Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is used in clinical research to identify biomarkers for diagnosis of and follow-up on cancer. Here, we propose a fast and innovative approach using traditional housekeeping genes as cfDNA targets in a copy number analysis. We focus on the application of highly sensitive technology such as digital PCR (dPCR) to differentiate breast cancer (BC) patients and controls by quantifying regions of PUM1 and RPPH1 (RNase P) in plasma samples. Methods: We conducted a case-control study with 82 BC patients and 82 healthy women. cfDNA was isolated from plasma using magnetic beads and quantified by spectrophotometry to estimate total cfDNA. Then, both PUM1 and RPPH1 genes were specifically quantified by dPCR. Data analysis was calibrated using a reference genomic DNA in different concentrations. Results: We found RNase P and PUM1 values were correlated in the patient group (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.842), but they did not have any correlation in healthy women (ICC = 0.519). In dPCR quantification, PUM1 showed the capacity to distinguish early-stage patients and controls with good specificity (98.67%) and sensitivity (100%). Conversely, RNase P had lower cfDNA levels in triple-negative BC patients than luminal subtypes (p < 0.025 for both), confirming their utility for patient classification. Conclusion: We propose the PUM1 gene as a cfDNA marker for early diagnosis of BC and RNase P as a cfDNA marker related to hormonal status and subtype classification in BC. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted.
Volume
35
Issue
4
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Medicina clínica
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85100238747
PubMed ID
Source
Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis
Resource of which it is part
Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis
ISSN of the container
08878013
DOI of the container
10.1002/jcla.23720
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus