Genome-wide analysis of the miR profile in human head and neck paraganglioma vs. Jacobson's (tympanic) nerve and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells

The aim of the study was to assess whether changes in the expression of miRs could be implicated in the modulation of the NOTCH pathway in head and neck paragangliomas. Several miRs, notably including families (miR-34s, miR-200s) that target the NOTCH signaling pathway, resulted differentially expressed in paragangliomas compared to the reference normal tissue, i.e., Jacobson's nerve. Total RNA from paraganglioma samples compared to total RNA from Jacobson's nerves (normal controls, chosen because Jacobson's nerve is a frequent site of origin of tympanic paraganglioma) and from SH-SY5Y cells (chosen based on their sympathoadrenal origin).