Analysis of the association of MİR-182, MİR-320A, MİR-144 with EBV-positive burkitt lymphoma

There is a clear but uncertain relationship between Burkitt Lymphoma (BL) and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). Previous studies have demonstrated the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in EBV-positive and EBV-negative BL cells. This study aimed to identify miRNAs associated with lymphoma and involved in the B lymphocyte differentiation pathway through in-silico analysis and literature review. The objective was to gain insights into the role of EBV in BL through expression analysis and comparison of miRNAs that have not been previously investigated in EBV-positive and EBV-negative BL cells. In-silico analysis identified three miRNAs (miR-182, miR-320a, miR-144) targeting BLIMP1 and XBP1 genes, which play regulatory roles in the B lymphocyte differentiation pathway and have been associated with lymphoma. Paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 28 patients diagnosed with BL were included in the study. Based on the results of BamH1-W region and ApoB-specific qPCR analysis, the samples were divided into two separate groups: 14 EBV-positive and 14 EBV-negative. QPCR expression analysis of selected three miRNAs was performed, and expression differences between two groups were statistically analyzed. Analysis was realized to establish a correlation between clinical data and miRNA expression. Based on the RT-PCR results of miRNAs in the samples divided into EBV-positive and EBV-negative groups according to BamH1-W/ApoB ratio, no expression of miR-182 and miR-144 was observed. Therefore, these two miRNAs were not subjected to statistical analysis. Expression of miR-320a was observed in all samples, and no correlation was found between miR-320a expression and EBV-positive BL samples (p>0.05). However, a positive correlation was found between miR-320a expression and the EBV-negative group (p<0.05). MiRNAs are potential regulators in the association between EBV and lymphoma. They may also play a role in tumorigenesis in EBV-infected BL cells. Our study can create ideas for the work to be done. The association between EBV and BL may become clear in the future. Differentially expressed miRNAs in EBV-positive and EBV-negative BL cells are promising in diagnosis and treatment.