MicroRNA expression profiles in benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Although alterations in microRNA (miRNA) expression have been previously investigated prostate cancer, the expression of miRNAs specifically in benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) of the prostatic stroma remains to be fully elucidated. In the present study, miRNAs and gene expression profiles were investigated using microarray analysis and reverse transcription quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in BPH tissue to clarify the associations between miRNA expression and target genes. Prostate tissue samples from five patients with BPH and five healthy men were analyzed using human Affymetrix miRNA and mRNA microarrays and differentially expressed miRNAs were validated using RT-qPCR with 30 BPH and 5 healthy control samples. A total of 8 miRNAs, including miRNA (miR)-96-5p, miR-1271-5p, miR-21-3p, miR-96-5p, miR-181a-5p, miR-143-3p, miR-4428 and miR-106a-5p were upregulated and 8 miRNAs (miR-16-5p, miR-19b-5p, miR-940, miR-25, miR-486-3p, miR-30a-3p, let-7c and miR-191) were downregulated. Additionally, miR-96-5p was demonstrated to have an inhibitory effect on the mRNA expression levels of the following genes: Mechanistic target of rapamycin (MTOR), RPTOR independent companion of MTOR complex 2, syntaxin 10, autophagy-related protein 9A, zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1, caspase 2 and protein kinase c epsilon. Additionally, 16 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified using RT-qPCR analysis. This preliminary study provides a solid basis for a further functional study to investigate the underlying regulatory mechanisms of BPH.