Increased MALAT1 Levels in Thyroid Cancer are Linked to Metabolic Reprogramming and Lymphatic Infiltration in Chilean population

Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) implicated in cancer progression. In thyroid cancer, MALAT1 has been proposed as a potential biomarker, but its role in disease progression remains incompletely understood. Here, we analyzed MALAT1 RNA levels in tumoral and non-tumoral paired-thyroid samples from a cohort of Chilean thyroid cancer patients. We found a positive correlation with lymphatic infiltration. RNA-seq analysis revealed upregulation of genes associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and downregulation of cell-adhesion molecules. Metabolism-associated genes were also altered. Overall design: RNA seq profiling of thyroid tissues obtained from papyllary thyroid cancer patients at the time of surgery. Samples come from tumor or adjacent (control) tissue