Integrated analysis of miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks in pediatric hepatocellular carcinoma.

Pediatric hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a group of liver cancers whose mechanisms behind their pathogenesis and progression are poorly understood. We aimed to identify alterations in the miRNAs and putative target mRNAs in not only tumor tissues of patients with pediatric HCC but also in corresponding background livers by using liver tissues without underlying liver disease as a control. We performed miRNA and mRNA profiling of pediatric HCC (consisting of fibrolamellar HCC (FLC) and non-FLC HCC) and paired liver tissues to identify miRNAs whose expression levels differed significantly from control livers. Our analysis generated prioritized lists of miRNAs and mRNAs from the following three sets of analyses: (a) pediatric HCC vs. control; (b) FLC vs. control; and (c) background liver tissue vs. control.