The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine

Georgia Veterinary Scholars Program

GVSP Summer 2009 Scholars

Georgia Veterinary Scholar

Faculty Mentor

Erin Burdette
University of Georgia
Class of 2012

Dr. Elizabeth Uhl
Department of Pathology

UGA College of Veterinary Medicine

Initial Characterization of miRNA Profiles in Canine Lymphoma
* Erin L. Burdette, Elizabeth W. Uhl, S. Mark Tompkins, Steven E. Suter, Chantel L. Lester

Lymphoma is one of the most common malignant cancers in dogs; however prognosis varies with the specific type of lymphoma and classification as to cell of origin based upon morphology can be difficult. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression through mRNA repression or degradation and have vital roles in cellular processes including growth, differentiation, and death. miRNA profiles are cell type specific and aberrant expression has been linked to cancer development. miRNA are also highly conserved across species. miRNA expression profiles in human cancers have been associated with clinopathologic features, disease outcomes, and response to therapy. Our long term goal is to identify cancer-specific miRNA profiles that can be used to improve diagnostics, classification, outcome predictions, and treatment of canine lymphoma. For this study, we utilized a Real-time PCR miRNA array originally designed for the characterization of human tumors to analyze miRNA expression profiles in canine tumors. Our preliminary results indicate there are differences in the miRNA profiles in both B and T cell lymphomas. Specifically, compared to samples of PBMC (n=4), miR-17-92 were increased in B-cell tumor samples (n=8) while miR-17-92 and miR-146 were increased in T-cell samples (n=4). We also developed an in situ hybridization protocol to detect miRNA in paraffin-embedded samples, which can be used to further characterize canine tumors. Given its cell and tissue specificity, and its critical role in cell differentiation and proliferation, miRNA has immeasurable potential for improved characterization and understanding of both human and animal cancers.