Role of MicroRNA in Canine Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a prevalent malignancy in dogs. Diffuse large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is the common subtype that represents about 50% of the clinically seen lymphoma cases. DLBCL diagnosis relies on cytological examination of a fine needle aspirate and histological evaluation by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in most common practices. This workflow is sufficient to confirm the diagnosis; however, it may be challenging to differentiate reactive and neoplastic forms in some controversial cases. In such cases, PCR-based clonality assays and flow cytometry (FC) can help with more conclusive diagnoses. So, finding more biomarkers that can detect and track DLBCL early and over time is a must for a final diagnosis and helps us learn more about how DLBCL starts at the molecular level. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), the small non-coding RNAs, regulate gene expression by binding to the 3'-untranslated region of protein-coding RNAs, leading to either RNA degradation or translational repression. They can switch on and off genes to regulate physiological and pathological processes. MicroRNA stability features and tissue availability make them promising biomarkers for identifying and sub-classifying patients and sequentially evaluating the disease status or the response toward a specific medicine. This dissertation investigates the small RNA sequence analysis, the differentially expressed miRNAs between healthy and DLBCL-affected lymph nodes, and the miRNA profile in DLBCL cases with different outcomes.