MicroRNA profiling of adrenocortical tumors reveals miR-483 as a marker of malignancy.

Background: The authors are interested in identifying molecular markers that can aid in the diagnosis of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). The aim of this study was to identify microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) that are differentially expressed in malignant adrenocortical tumors as compared with benign tumors and assess their potential as diagnostic predictors.

Methods: Differentially expressed miRNAs were identified using microarray profiling of adrenocortical tumors and validated by quantitative real-time RT-PCR.

Results: Microarray profiling in benign and primary malignant adrenocortical tumors revealed several significant differences between these histological groups. By using directed quantitative RT-PCR analysis on a subset of these differentially expressed miRNAs, the authors determined that miRs -100, -125b, and -195 were significantly down-regulated, whereas miR-483-5p was significantly up-regulated in malignant as compared with benign tumors. Furthermore, the current study shows that miR-483-5p expression can accurately categorize tumors as benign or malignant.

Conclusions: The authors identified 4 miRNAs that are dysregulated in adrenocortical carcinoma. The high expression of one of these, miR-483-5p, appears to be a defining characteristic of adrenocortical malignancies, and can thus be used to accurately distinguish between benign and malignant adrenocortical tumors.