MicroRNA 21 expression levels in HIV and non-HIV related diffuse large B cell lymphoma

• Published in: Pathology Vol. 46; p. S103
• Main Authors: Phillips, Pumza, Sekar, Durairaj, Sookhayi, Raveendra, Govender, Dhiren, Mohamed, Zainab, Zerbini, Luiz, Naidoo, Richard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 2014
• ISSN: 0031-3025; 1465-3931
• DOI: 10.1097/01.PAT.0000454452.85660.5c

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a heterogenous disease with various morphological and molecular subtypes. MicroRNA 21 (miR-21) is upregulated in individuals diagnosed with DLBCL. It is also highly expressed in the activated B cell like (ABC) subtype than the germinal centre like (GC) subtype of DLBCL. Research about the disease is largely conducted with HIV negative samples and it is unclear how HIV affects the molecular mechanisms of the disease.
We conducted a study to compare the levels of miR-21 in HIV negative and HIV positive individuals diagnosed with DLBCL.
RNA was extracted from FFPE tissues and only miR-21 RNA was converted to cDNA using adaptors. Quantification was performed using miR-21 specific primers. The levels of miR-21 were correlated with patient survival.
No significant differences were observed in miR-21 levels between HIV negative and HIV positive cases of DLBCL. In addition, no differences in miR-21 levels were observed between ABC and GC subtypesin HIV positive cases. High levels of miR-21 in HIV positive individuals were suggestive of a good prognosis.
Our results indicate that HIV infection eliminates the difference in miR-21 expression that is seen in HIV negative DLCBL subtypes.