CAPZB mRNA is a novel biomarker in cervical high-grade squamous lesions or higher

Abstract

Abstract Objective To evaluate Capping protein (actin filament) muscle Z-line subunit β(CAPZB) messenger ribonucleic acid(mRNA) as a biomarker for distinguishing low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion of the cervix (LSIL) and below from high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion of the cervix (HSIL) and above. Methods We collected a total of 166 cervical exfoliated cells, which were divided into normal group, Human papillomavirus (HPV) group, LSIL group, HSIL group, and Cervical cancer (CC) group based on histopathological results. Each sample was divided into two portions, one for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) detection and the other for bisulfite sequencing polymerase chain reaction (BSP) detection. Clinical information of patients was also collected. The ability of these two methods to distinguish LSIL and below from HSIL and above was compared and analyzed. Results CAPZB mRNA levels decreased with the increasing severity of cervical lesions, while CAPZB deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation levels increased with the increasing severity of cervical lesions. FISH detection of CAPZB mRNA and BSP detection of CAPZB DNA methylation performed best as biomarkers for distinguishing HSIL and above from LSIL and below, with area under the roc curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of 0.893, 81.25%, and 80.39%, 0.794, 64.06%, and 81.37%, respectively. CAPZB mRNA performed better than CAPZB DNA methylation as a biomarker for assessing cervical lesions. Conclusion FISH detection of CAPZB mRNA shows potential as a novel biomarker for distinguishing HSIL and above from LSIL and below in cervical lesions.