Dysregulation of miR-205, BCL2, and YAP1 as molecular signatures of colorectal cancer in Iraqi patients: a case–control study

Abstract

Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies globally, and its increasing prevalence in Iraq is an emerging health problem. This work analyzed the expression profiles of miR-205 (microRNA-205), BCL2 (B-cell lymphoma 2), and YAP1 gene in Iraqi CRC patients to evaluate the potential contribution towards diagnosis and prognosis. Eighty individual CRC and 40 healthy Control patients were recruited. Complete Blood Count (CBC) analysis was performed to assess White Blood Cell (WBC) concentrations, and Interleukin-18 (IL-18) and Interleukin-22 (IL-22) concentrations were determined by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was utilized to quantify expression levels of miR-205, BCL2, and YAP1. Diagnostic efficacy was established by performing Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and biomarker associations were evaluated using Pearson correlation. Differences in WBC count levels, IL-18, and IL-22 levels were non-significant in patients vs. controls. In contrast, miR-205 expression was significantly decreased in CRC patients (0.33-fold), whereas BCL2 and YAP1 were significantly up-regulated (1.92-fold and 1.44-fold, respectively). ROC analysis revealed that BCL2 showed the greatest diagnostic activity, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.880, and was followed by YAP1 (AUC: 0.736) and miR-205 (AUC: 0.700). There were significant correlations between miR-205/BCL2 and BCL2/YAP1, indicating coordinated roles in apoptosis blocking and tumor growth mechanisms. Collectively these results recommend the tumor suppressive role of miR-205 and the oncogenic role of BCL2 and YAP1 which could explain CRC phenotypes and therapy resistance. Overall, the study d=also suggest the potential of these genes as cancer detection candidate in the Iraqi population even within its limitations.