OBJECTIVETo study the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma and CD30 positive peripheral T cell lymphoma (not otherwise specified), and discuss the pathogenesis of miRNAs in ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

METHODSThree cases of ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma of lymph node, 3 cases of CD30-positive peripheral T cell lymphoma (not otherwise specified) of lymph node and 3 cases of reactive hyperplasia of lymph node were detected by high flow microarray of miRNAs. The method of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was further applied for 7 miRNAs in 15 cases of ALK-negatie anaplastic large cell lymphomas of lymph node and 15 cases of CD30-positive peripheral T cell lymphoma (not otherwise specified) of lymph node.

RESULTSThe significant difference of 13 miRNAs was found between ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma and CD30 positive peripheral T cell lymphoma (not otherwise specified) (P < 0.05), of which the result of 5 miRNAs was consistent with miRNAs expression spectrum: miR-664b-5p, miR-1275, miR-4739, miR-4736 and miR-504-5p, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Compared with reactive hyperplasia of lymph nodes, miR-664b-5p, miR-1275 and miR-4739 were significantly under-expressed (P = 0.004, P = 0.021, P = 0.031) and miR-4736 and miR-504-5p were significantly over-expressed (P = 0.009, P = 0.007) in ALK negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

CONCLUSIONSMiR-664b-5p, miR-1275, miR-4739, miR-4736 and miR-504-5p may become an important indicator in the differentiation ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma from CD30-positive peripheral T cell lymphoma (not otherwise specified). MiR-4739, miR-4736 and miR-1275 may play important role in pathogenesis of negative-anaplastic large cell lymphoma by target genes: TNFRSF8 and TMOD1.