| dc.description.abstract | Foods play an essential role in the management of disease; it is becoming increasingly common for individuals to turn to foods as a form of therapy or even prevention of progressive conditions, such as cancer. The biochemical makeup of a particular food can alter gene expression at a cellular level, possibly resulting in the prevention of cellular replication processes that ultimately lead to the unwanted initiation and growth of tumors. This project investigates the effects of both omega-3 (fish oil) and omega-6 (corn oil) polyunsaturated fatty acids in preventing the initiation and progression of colon cancer by gathering statistical trends in the presence of mRNA and miRNA, using samples retrieved from the colon of rats. This is accomplished using a data science programming language R, under R Studio interface environment, that helps the user to efficiently model, manipulate, and visualize expansive genomic data. It is hypothesized that negative regulation of mRNA by miRNA will be shown, by these two molecules essentially having an inverse relationship. Earlier research suggests that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can alter gene expression in the colon, meaning that they have highly useful chemopreventive properties. It is also hypothesized that the presence of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids does not assist in the initiation of cancer; but nonetheless, provides no statistically substantial prevention. Upon completion of analysis within the scope of this project, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids cause much differential expression amongst genes in the context of colon cancer. Within this work, solid evidence was found to support the negative regulatory relationship of mRNA and miRNA. It is the goal that, with even further analyses and data integration, conclusions will provide support for the importance of incorporating foods that are contain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids into one’s diet. Common sources of this dietary fat include seafood and leafy vegetables, which are easy additions to an everyday diet, and likely carry a multitude of other health benefits as well. | |
