Open AccessStroma‐derived extracellular vesicle mRNA signatures inform histological nature of prostate cancer
Author(s) -
Shephard Alex P.,
Giles Peter,
Mbengue Mariama,
Alraies Amr,
Spary Lisa K.,
Kynaston Howard,
Gurney Mark J.,
FalcónPérez Juan M.,
Royo Félix,
Tabi Zsuzsanna,
Parthimos Dimitris,
Errington Rachel J.,
Clayton Aled,
Webber Jason P.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of extracellular vesicles
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.94
H-Index - 68
ISSN - 2001-3078
DOI - 10.1002/jev2.12150
Subject(s) - prostate cancer , stromal cell , prostate , stroma , disease , extracellular vesicle , biopsy , pca3 , medicine , cancer , pathology , liquid biopsy , in silico , microvesicles , biology , oncology , cancer research , microrna , immunohistochemistry , gene , biochemistry
Abstract Histological assessment of prostate cancer is the key diagnostic test and can predict disease outcome. This is however an invasive procedure that carries associated risks, hence non‐invasive assays to support the diagnostic pathway are much needed. A key feature of disease progression, and subsequent poor prognosis, is the presence of an altered stroma. Here we explored the utility of prostate stromal cell‐derived vesicles as indicators of an altered tumour environment. We compared vesicles from six donor‐matched pairs of adjacent‐normal versus disease‐associated primary stromal cultures. We identified 19 differentially expressed transcripts that discriminate disease from normal stromal extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs isolated from patient serum were investigated for these putative disease‐discriminating mRNA. A set of transcripts including Caveolin‐1 (CAV1), TMP2, THBS1, and CTGF were found to be successful in discriminating clinically insignificant (Gleason = 6) disease from clinically significant (Gleason > 8) prostate cancer. Furthermore, correlation between transcript expression and progression‐free survival suggests that levels of these mRNA may predict disease outcome. Informed by a machine learning approach, combining measures of the five most informative EV‐associated mRNAs with PSA was shown to significantly improve assay sensitivity and specificity. An in‐silico model was produced, showcasing the superiority of this multi‐modal liquid biopsy compared to needle biopsy for predicting disease progression. This proof of concept highlights the utility of serum EV analytics as a companion diagnostic test with prognostic utility, which may obviate the need for biopsy.