Complex sets of miRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers for colon cancer

1. A method for detecting altered levels of miRNA expression in a human subject having, or suspected of having, colon cancer comprising the steps of:

(i) determining an expression profile of a set comprising at least two miRNAs representative for colon cancer in a blood cell sample from the human subject,

wherein the blood cell sample consists of a mixture of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes,

wherein the miRNAs comprised in the set comprising at least two miRNAs are selected from the group consisting of:

hsa-miR-20a, hsa-miR-144*, hsa-miR-183, hsa-miR-499-3p, hsa-miR-658, hsa-miR-208b, hsa-miR-145, hsa-miR-28-3p, hsa-miR-18a, hsa-miR-646, hsa-miR-17, hsa-miR-19b, hsa-miR-596, hsa-miR-664, hsa-miR-1180, hsa-miR-20b, hsa-miR-106a, hsa-miR-564, hsa-miR-93, hsa-miR-183*, hsa-miR-1260, hsa-miR-373, hsa-miR-1227, hsa-miR-483-5p, hsa-miR-621, hsa-miR-1908, hsa-miR-106b, hsa-miR-607, hsa-miR-374a, hsa-miR-224, hsa-miR-17*, hsa-miR-130b, hsa-miR-1246, hsa-miR-635, hsa-miR-146a, hsa-miR-144, hsa-miR-523, hsa-miR-454, hsa-miR-296-5p, hsa-miR-1226*, hsa-miR-496, hsa-miR-216a, hsa-miR-613, hsa-miR-200a*, hsa-miR-1225-5p, hsa-miR-328, hsa-miR-556-5p, hsa-miR-1247, hsa-miR-1294, hsa-miR-609, hsa-miR-1282, hsa-miR-485-5p, hsa-miR-520d-3p, hsa-miR-1251, hsa-miR-151-3p, hsa-miR-593*, hsa-miR-361-5p, hsa-miR-720, hsa-miR-452*, hsa-miR-216b, hsa-miR-32, hsa-miR-934, hsa-miR-640, hsa-miR-34a*, hsa-let-7d*, hsa-miR-197, hsa-miR-423-5p, hsa-miR-214*, hsa-miR-574-3p, hsa-miR-604, hsa-miR-1324, hsa-miR-320d, hsa-miR-151-5p, hsa-miR-744, hsa-miR-33b, hsa-miR-455-3p, hsa-miR-483-3p, hsa-miR-891b, hsa-miR-219-2-3p, hsa-miR-892a, hsa-miR-1272, hsa-miR-153, hsa-miR-31*, hsa-miR-654-5p, hsa-miR-125a-3p, and hsa-miR-545, and

wherein the set comprising at least two miRNAs comprises at least one of the sets of miRNAs listed in FIG. 2 , FIG. 5 b or FIG. 7 ; and

(ii) comparing said expression profile to a reference expression profile obtained from at least one healthy human subject, or a human subject not having , or being suspected of having colon cancer;

(iii) detecting at least one of the following up-regulations relative to the reference expression profile of:

hsa-miR-183, hsa-miR-658, hsa-miR-145, hsa-miR-28-3p, hsa-miR-19b, hsa-miR-664, hsa-miR-1180, hsa-miR-183*, hsa-miR-1260, hsa-miR-373, hsa-miR-1227, hsa-miR-483-5p, hsa-miR-1908, hsa-miR-224, hsa-miR-130b, hsa-miR-1246, hsa-miR-146a, hsa-miR-296-5p, hsa-miR-613, hsa-miR-1225-5p, hsa-miR-328, hsa-miR-1294, hsa-miR-609, hsa-miR-520d-3p, hsa-miR-151-3p, hsa-miR-361-5p, hsa-miR-720, hsa-let-7d*, hsa-miR-197, hsa-miR-423-5p, hsa-miR-574-3p, hsa-miR-320d, hsa-miR-151-5p, hsa-miR-483-3p, hsa-miR-219-2-3p, hsa-miR-892a, hsa-miR-125a-3p, hsa-miR-1282, or hsa-miR-744, and/or

at least one of the following down-regulations relative to the reference expression profile of:

hsa-miR-20a, hsa-miR-144*, hsa-miR-499-3p, hsa-miR-208b, hsa-miR-18a, hsa-miR-646, hsa-miR-17, hsa-miR-596, hsa-miR-20b, hsa-miR-106a, hsa-miR-564, hsa-miR-93, hsa-miR-621, hsa-miR-106b, hsa-miR-607, hsa-miR-374a, hsa-miR-17*, hsa-miR-635, hsa-miR-144, hsa-miR-523, hsa-miR-454, hsa-miR-1226*, hsa-miR-496, hsa-miR-216a, hsa-miR-200a*, hsa-miR-556-5p, hsa-miR-1247, hsa-miR-485-5p, hsa-miR-1251, hsa-miR-593*, hsa-miR-452*, hsa-miR-216b, hsa-miR-32, hsa-miR-934, hsa-miR-640, hsa-miR-34a*, hsa-miR-214*, hsa-miR-604, hsa-miR-1324, hsa-miR-33b, hsa-miR-455-3p, hsa-miR-891b, hsa-miR-1272, hsa-miR-153, hsa-miR-31*, hsa-miR-654-5p, or hsa-miR-545, and

(iv) determining whether the subject has colon cancer or will develop colon cancer by transforming the individual expression levels of the miRNAs in the individual blood cells of the blood cell sample to one numerical value which represents the mathematical average of the miRNA expression levels of the individual blood cells, wherein the individual blood cells are erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the expression profile of the miRNAs is determined comprising the steps:

(a) extracting total RNA from said blood sample,

(b) reverse-transcribing the total RNA into cDNA, and

(c) amplifying the cDNA and thereby detecting the miRNA levels in said blood sample.

3. A kit for diagnosing and/or prognosing colon cancer according to the method of claim 1 , comprising

(i) means for determining the expression profile of the set comprising at least two miRNAs representative for colon cancer in the blood sample from the subject, and

(ii) at least one reference,

wherein the reference is determined from reference expression profiles of at least 2 control subjects with at least 2 clinical conditions, from which at least one is colon cancer.

4. The kit according to claim 3 , wherein the reference is determined in the same type of blood sample as the subject to be diagnosed and/or prognosed.

5. The kit according to claim 4 , wherein the means comprise:

(i) a set of at least two polynucleotides or a set of at least two primer pairs for detecting the set comprising at least two miRNAs for diagnosing and/or prognosing colon cancer in the blood sample from a subject, wherein the nucleotide sequences of the miRNAs comprised in the set are selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 588, and

(ii) a biochip, a RT-PCT system, a PCR-system, a flow cytometer, a bead-based multiplex system or a next generation sequencing system.

6. A method of detecting an expression profile for colon cancer in a subject comprising the steps of:

(i) providing a blood cell sample consisting of a mixture of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes obtained from the subject, and

(i.) detecting whether the expression profile for colon cancer is present in the blood cell sample obtained from the subject by contacting the blood cell sample with probes for a miRNA expression profile and detecting binding between the probes and the miRNAs,

wherein the expression profile comprises a set of at least two miRNAs representative for colon cancer in the blood cell sample,

wherein the set of at least two miRNAs comprises at least one of the sets of miRNAs listed in FIG. 2 , FIG. 5 b or FIG. 7 ; and,

determinin whether the subject has colon cancer or will develop colon cancer by transforming the individual expression levels of the miRNAs in the individual blood cells of the blood cell sample to one numerical value which represents the mathematical average of the miRNA expression levels of the individual blood cells, wherein the individual blood cells are erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes.