Real-time quantitative PCR analysis of 232 microRNAs in human oral tissues

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the sixth most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide, and the five-year survival rate remains low in patients with advanced OSCC. Many studies indicate that microRNAs (miRNAs) may paly critical roles in OSCC carcinogenesis, but the dynamic composition and functions of miRNAs-mRNAs regulatory networks in OSCC pathogenesis remain largely unknown. Thus, detailed investigations of OSCC-associated miRNAs and their regulated networks may provide insights into mechanistic understanding of OSCC progression and development of new strategies of OSCC management. To this end, we first sought to compile from a systems perspective the miRNA-mRNA networks underlying OSCC pathogenesis. Our targeted, qRT-PCR-based expression profiling of 232 miRNAs in 49 human oral tissue samples (including 19 normal and 30 OSCC specimens) identified 49 differentially expressed miRNAs (p-value < 0.01 and fold change > 2) in OSCC tissues. Total 19 normal and 30 OSCC specimens were collected, and the miRNA-specific RT-qPCR was performed