Evaluating the diagnostic value of Argonaute 2 gene expression changes in patients with colorectal cancer

The protein encoded by argonaute 2 gene (AGO2) plays a critical role in micro-RNA biogenesis and processing pathway. AGO2 gene may have an onco-miR or tumor suppressor-miR role in tumor genesis. In this study, we aimed to evaluate AGO2 gene expression changes in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

In this case-control study, we have analyzed 100 CRC tissue samples (50 cancerous and 50 adjacent non-cancer tissues) in patients with colon cancer who had admitted to Shahid Mahallati and Imam Reza Hospitals in Tabriz city during 2015 to 2016. Total RNA was extracted and cDNA was synthesized and then AGO2 expression changes were evaluated using Real Time-PCR method by 2-ΔΔCT. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and paired t-test.

Our findings showed a significant difference in AGO2 gene expression between cancerous and adjacent non-cancer tissues (p=0.033), which was associated with an increase in expression level of AGO2 gene.

Our findings showed that increased levels of AGO2 expression may play a significant role in the development of CRC and can be used as a diagnostic biomarker in CRC patients