microRNA expression profiling of human colorectal cancer cell lines: HRT-18 vs. Caco-2

MicroRNAs regulate the biological aggressiveness of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and might serve as potential prognostic factors and therapeutic targets. In this study, we therefore globally profiled microRNAs associated with aggressive growth in CRC cells, in an attempt to identify novel prognostic biomarkers in CRC patients. In detail, two different CRC cell lines (Caco-2 and HRT-18) with completely different growth rates and different E-cadherin expression were profiled for differences in more than 1000 human microRNAs by using microarray technology. Two-condition experiment, HRT-18 vs. Caco-2. Biological replicates: 3, independently grown and harvested. On each array, one BR of HRT-18 cells was directly compared to one BR of Caco-2 cells (serving as reference sample). All hybridizations were repeated with reversed dye assignment (dye-swap) as technical replicates.