Bioinformatics Analysis Reveals miR-98-5p as a potential Inhibitor of Tumor cell proliferation and metastasis in Colorectal Cancer by targeting the FZD3 receptor of the Wnt signaling pathway

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report of 2020, Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and the second cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. However, the existing treatment, as well as prognosis strategies, need to be improved to increase the survival of CRC patients. Targeted therapies of CRC as opposed to ordinary therapies; target key biological features and pathways of cancerous cells hence minimizing the subsequent damage to normal cells. MicroRNAs have been reported to play a crucial role in inhibiting and/or suppressing major pathways in various cancer types by targeting transcripts of key genes in such pathways. This study aimed at in silico inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and metastasis by targeting a key gene – Frizzled receptor 3 (FZD3) in the Wnt signaling pathway, one of the major pathways in CRC; using microRNAs. The in silico analysis revealed that miR-98-5p is a direct target of FZD3, using 5 microarray datasets containing tumorous and control samples. Further analysis indicated that miR-98-5p inhibits the expression of this receptor by directly binding to the 3’UTR of its mRNA hence exerting a tumor-suppressor role in CRC through the Wnt signaling pathway. However, these results need to be validated in the future through basic research experiments using CRC cells in vivo and in vitro. The study reveals miR-98-5p as a novel target of FZD3 and an inhibitor of the Wnt signaling pathway hence being a potential candidate for developing targeted therapies against CRC.