Identification of pivotal genes associated with the prognosis of gastric carcinoma through integrated analysis

Purpose: Detecting and diagnosing gastric cancer (GC) during its early period remains greatly difficult. Our analysis was performed to detect core genes correlated with GC and explore their prognostic values. Methods: Microarray datasets from the GEO (GSE54129) and TCGA-stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) datasets were applied for common differentially coexpressed genes using differential gene expression analysis and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). Functional enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis of differentially coexpressed genes were performed. We identified hub genes via the CytoHubba plugin. Prognostic values of hub genes were explored. Afterward, GSEA was used to analyze survival-related hub genes. Finally, the tumor-infiltrating immune cell (TIC) abundance profiles were estimated. Results: Sixty common differentially co-expressed genes were found. Functional enrichment analysis implied that cell−cell junction organization and cell adhesion molecules were primarily enriched. Hub genes were identified using the degree, edge percolated component (EPC), maximal clique centrality (MCC), and maximum neighborhood component (MNC) algorithms, and SERPINE1 was highly associated with the prognosis of GC patients. Moreover, GSEA demonstrated that ECM receptor interactions and pathways in cancers were correlated with SERPINE1 expression. CIBERSORT analysis of the proportion of TICs suggested that CD8+ T cell and T cell regulation were negatively associated with SERPINE1 expression, showing that SERPINE1 may inhibit the immune-dominant status of the tumor microenvironment in GC. Conclusions: Our analysis shows that SERPINE1 is closely correlated with the tumorigenesis and progression of GC. Furthermore, SERPINE1 acts as a candidate therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker of GC.

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Identification of key genes and biological processes contributing to colitis associated dysplasia in ulcerative colitis

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.11321 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e11321

Author(s):

Di Zhang ◽

Pengguang Yan ◽

Taotao Han ◽

Xiaoyun Cheng ◽

Jingnan Li

Keyword(s):

Ulcerative Colitis ◽

Mitochondrial Dysfunction ◽

Single Gene ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Cell Junction ◽

Biological Processes ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Key Genes

Background Ulcerative colitis-associated colorectal cancer (UC-CRC) is a life-threatening complication of ulcerative colitis (UC). The mechanisms underlying UC-CRC remain to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to explore the key genes and biological processes contributing to colitis-associated dysplasia (CAD) or carcinogenesis in UC via database mining, thus offering opportunities for early prediction and intervention of UC-CRC. Methods Microarray datasets (GSE47908 and GSE87466) were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between groups of GSE47908 were identified using the “limma” R package. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) based on DEGs between the CAD and control groups was conducted subsequently. Functional enrichment analysis was performed, and hub genes of selected modules were identified using the “clusterProfiler” R package. Single-gene gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to predict significant biological processes and pathways associated with the specified gene. Results Six functional modules were identified based on 4929 DEGs. Green and blue modules were selected because of their consistent correlation with UC and CAD, and the highest correlation coefficient with the progress of UC-associated carcinogenesis. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that genes of these two modules were significantly enriched in biological processes, including mitochondrial dysfunction, cell-cell junction, and immune responses. However, GSEA based on differential expression analysis between sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) and normal controls from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) indicated that mitochondrial dysfunction may not be the major carcinogenic mechanism underlying sporadic CRC. Thirteen hub genes (SLC25A3, ACO2, AIFM1, ATP5A1, DLD, TFE3, UQCRC1, ADIPOR2, SLC35D1, TOR1AIP1, PRR5L, ATOX1, and DTX3) were identified. Their expression trends were validated in UC patients of GSE87466, and their potential carcinogenic effects in UC were supported by their known functions and other relevant studies reported in the literature. Single-gene GSEA indicated that biological processes and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways related to angiogenesis and immune response were positively correlated with the upregulation of TFE3, whereas those related to mitochondrial function and energy metabolism were negatively correlated with the upregulation of TFE3. Conclusions Using WGCNA, this study found two gene modules that were significantly correlated with CAD, of which 13 hub genes were identified as the potential key genes. The critical biological processes in which the genes of these two modules were significantly enriched include mitochondrial dysfunction, cell-cell junction, and immune responses. TFE3, a transcription factor related to mitochondrial function and cancers, may play a central role in UC-associated carcinogenesis.

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Integrated analysis identifies a pathway-related competing endogenous RNA network in the progression of pancreatic cancer

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-020-07470-4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Fuqiang Zu ◽

Peng Liu ◽

Huaitao Wang ◽

Ting Zhu ◽

Jian Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽

Tumor Formation ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

Competing Endogenous Rna ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Cerna Network ◽

Competing Endogenous Rna Network

Abstract Background It is well acknowledged that cancer-related pathways play pivotal roles in the progression of pancreatic cancer (PC). Employing Integrated analysis, we aim to identify the pathway-related ceRNA network associated with PC progression. Methods We divided eight GEO datasets into three groups according to their platform, and combined TCGA and GTEx databases as a group. Additionally, we screened out the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and performed functional enrichment analysis in each group, and recognized the top hub genes in the most enriched pathway. Furthermore, the upstream of miRNAs and lncRNAs were predicted and validated according to their expression and prognostic roles. Finally, the co-expression analysis was applied to identify a pathway-related ceRNA network in the progression of PC. Results A total of 51 significant pathways that common enriched in all groups were spotted. Enrichment analysis indicated that pathway in cancer was greatly linked with tumor formation and progression. Next, the top 20 hug genes in this pathway were recognized, and stepwise prediction and validation from mRNA to lncRNA, including 11 hub genes, 4 key miRNAs, and 2 key lncRNAs, were applied to identify a meaningful ceRNA network according to ceRNA rules. Ultimately, we identified the PVT1/miR-20b/CCND1 axis as a promising pathway-related ceRNA axis in the progression of PC. Conclusion Overall, we elucidate the pathway-related ceRNA regulatory network of PVT1/miR-20b/CCND1 in the progression of PC, which can be considered as therapeutic targets and encouraging prognostic biomarkers for PC.

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Weighted Gene Correlation Network Analysis Identifies Specific Functional Modules and Genes in Esophageal Cancer

Journal of Oncology ◽

10.1155/2021/8223263 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Wei Xu ◽

Jian Xu ◽

Zhiqiang Wang ◽

Yuequan Jiang

Keyword(s):

Esophageal Cancer ◽

Network Analysis ◽

Cell Cycle Progression ◽

Differential Expression Analysis ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Future Research ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Pathological Staging

Objective. Esophageal cancer (ESCA) is one of the most aggressive malignancies globally with an undesirable five-year survival rate. Here, this study was conducted for determining specific functional genes linked with ESCA initiation and progression. Methods. Gene expression profiling of ESCA was curated from TCGA (containing 160 ESCA and 11 nontumor specimens) and GSE38129 (30 paired ESCA and nontumor tissues) datasets. Differential expression analysis was conducted between ESCA and nontumor tissues with adjusted p value <0.05 and |log2fold-change|>1. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted for determining the ESCA-specific coexpression modules and genes. Thereafter, ESCA-specific differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were intersected. Functional enrichment analysis was then presented with clusterProfiler package. Protein-protein interaction was conducted, and hub genes were determined. Association of hub genes with pathological staging was evaluated, and survival analysis was presented among ESCA patients. Results. This study determined 91 ESCA-specific DEGs following intersection of DEGs and ESCA-specific genes in TCGA and GSE38129 datasets. They were remarkably linked to cell cycle progression and carcinogenic pathways like the p53 signaling pathway, cellular senescence, and apoptosis. Ten ESCA-specific hub genes were determined, containing ASPM, BUB1B, CCNA2, CDC20, CDK1, DLGAP5, KIF11, KIF20 A, TOP2A, and TPX2. They were prominently associated with pathological staging. Among them, KIF11 upregulation was in relation to undesirable prognosis of ESCA patients. Conclusion. Collectively, we determined ESCA-specific coexpression modules and hub genes, which offered the foundation for future research concerning the mechanistic basis of ESCA.

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Integrated analysis identifies a pathway-related competing endogenous RNA network in the progression of Pancreatic cancer

10.21203/rs.3.rs-36637/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Fuqiang Zu ◽

Peng Liu ◽

Huaitao Wang ◽

Ting Zhu ◽

Jian Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽

Tumor Formation ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

Competing Endogenous Rna ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Cerna Network ◽

Competing Endogenous Rna Network

Abstract Background: It is well acknowledged that cancer-related pathways play pivotal roles in the progression of pancreatic cancer (PC). Employing Integrated analysis, we aim to identify the pathway-related ceRNA network associated with PC progression.Methods: We divided eight GEO datasets into three groups according to their platform, and combined TCGA and GTEx databases as a group. Additionally, we screened out the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and performed functional enrichment analysis in each group, and recognized the top hub genes in the most enriched pathway. Furthermore, the upstream of miRNAs and lncRNAs were predicted and validated according to their expression and prognostic roles. Finally, the co-expression analysis was applied to identify a pathway-related ceRNA network in the progression of PC.Results: A total of 51 significant pathways that common enriched in all groups were spotted. Enrichment analysis indicated that pathway in cancer was greatly linked with tumor formation and progression. Next, the top 20 hug genes in this pathway were recognized, and stepwise prediction and validation from mRNA to lncRNA, including 11 hub genes, 4 key miRNAs, and 2 key lncRNAs, were applied to identify a meaningful ceRNA network according to ceRNA rules. Ultimately, we identified the PVT1/miR-20b-/CCND1 axis as a promising pathway-related ceRNA axis in the progression of PC.Conclusion: Overall, we elucidate the pathway-related ceRNA regulatory network of PVT1/miR-20b-/CCND1 in the progression of PC, which can be considered as therapeutic targets and encouraging prognostic biomarkers for PC.

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Detecting Hub Genes Associated With Lauren Subtype of Gastric Cancer by Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-61626/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

XU LIU ◽

Li Yao ◽

Jingkun Qu ◽

Lin Liu ◽

XU LIU ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Network Analysis ◽

Cancer Survival ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Diffuse Gastric Cancer ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Gene Modules

Abstract Background Gastric cancer is a rather heterogeneous type of malignant tumor. Among the several classification system, Lauren classification can reflect biological and pathological differences of different gastric cancer.Method to provide systematic biological perspectives, we employ weighted gene co-expression network analysis to reveal transcriptomic characteristics of gastric cancer. GSE15459 and TCGA STAD dataset were downloaded. Co-expressional network was constructed and gene modules were identified. Result Two key modules blue and red were suggested to be associated with diffuse gastric cancer. Functional enrichment analysis of genes from the two modules was performed. Validating in TCGA STAD dataset, we propose 10 genes TNS1, PGM5, CPXM2, LIMS2, AOC3, CRYAB, ANGPTL1, BOC and TOP2A to be hub-genes for diffuse gastric cancer. Finally these ten genes were associated with gastric cancer survival. Conclusion More attention need to be paid and further experimental study is required to elucidate the role of these genes.

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Identification of potential prognostic markers for osteosarcoma by integrated analysis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-52760/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yuxiang Ge ◽

Wang Ding ◽

Chong Bian ◽

Huijie Gu ◽

Jun Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prognostic Markers ◽

Bone Development ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Great Promise ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Hub Gene ◽

Gene Modules

Abstract Background: Osteosarcoma (OS), one of the utmost common and malignant cancer, accounts for over 30% among skeletal sarcomas. Although great efforts have been made, the mechanism of OS still remains largely unknown. Here, we intend to identify gene modules and candidate biomarkers for clinical diagnosis of patients with OS, and reveal the mechanisms of OS progression.Methods: Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted to build a co-expression network and investigate the relationship between modules and clinical traits. Functional enrichment analysis was performed on module genes. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to identify the hub gene and the expression level of hub genes was validated based on another dataset.Results: A total of 9854 genes were included in WGCNA, and 17 gene modules were constructed. Gene module related with OS in sacrum was mainly enriched in skeletal system development, bone development and extracellular structure organization. Furthermore, we screened the top 10 hub genes and further validated 5 of the 10 (MMP13, DCN, GNG2, PCOLCE and RUNX2), the expression of which were upregulated as compared with normal tissues.Conclusion: The hub gene we identified show great promise as prognostic markers for the management of OS and our findings also provide new insight for molecular mechanism of OS.

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Low expression of CHRDL1 and SPARCL1 predicts poor prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma based on comprehensive analysis and immunohistochemical validation

Cancer Cell International ◽

10.1186/s12935-021-01933-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Huan Deng ◽

Qingqing Hang ◽

Dijian Shen ◽

Yibi Zhang ◽

Ming Chen

Keyword(s):

Lung Adenocarcinoma ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Transforming Growth Factor ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽

Gene Set Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Prognostic Indicators ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Coexpressed Genes

Abstract Purpose Exploring the molecular mechanisms of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is beneficial for developing new therapeutic strategies and predicting prognosis. This study was performed to select core genes related to LUAD and to analyze their prognostic value. Methods Microarray datasets from the GEO (GSE75037) and TCGA-LUAD datasets were analyzed to identify differentially coexpressed genes in LUAD using weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) and differential gene expression analysis. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted, and a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was established. Subsequently, hub genes were identified using the CytoHubba plug-in. Overall survival (OS) analyses of hub genes were performed. The Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) and the Human Protein Atlas (THPA) databases were used to validate our findings. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) of survival-related hub genes were conducted. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was carried out to validate our findings. Results We identified 486 differentially coexpressed genes. Functional enrichment analysis suggested these genes were primarily enriched in the regulation of epithelial cell proliferation, collagen-containing extracellular matrix, transforming growth factor beta binding, and signaling pathways regulating the pluripotency of stem cells. Ten hub genes were detected using the maximal clique centrality (MCC) algorithm, and four genes were closely associated with OS. The CPTAC and THPA databases revealed that CHRDL1 and SPARCL1 were downregulated at the mRNA and protein expression levels in LUAD, whereas SPP1 was upregulated. GSEA demonstrated that DNA-dependent DNA replication and catalytic activity acting on RNA were correlated with CHRDL1 and SPARCL1 expression, respectively. The IHC results suggested that CHRDL1 and SPARCL1 were significantly downregulated in LUAD. Conclusions Our study revealed that survival-related hub genes closely correlated with the initiation and progression of LUAD. Furthermore, CHRDL1 and SPARCL1 are potential therapeutic and prognostic indicators of LUAD.

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Integrated analysis identifies a pathway-related competing endogenous RNA network in the progression of Pancreatic cancer

10.21203/rs.3.rs-36637/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Fuqiang Zu ◽

Peng Liu ◽

Huaitao Wang ◽

Ting Zhu ◽

Jian Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽

Tumor Formation ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

Competing Endogenous Rna ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Cerna Network ◽

Competing Endogenous Rna Network

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Hub genes of stroke identified by weighted gene co-expression network analysis

10.21203/rs.2.14681/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Junhong Li ◽

Yang Zhai ◽

Peng Wu ◽

Yueqiang Hu ◽

Wei Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Network Analysis ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Neuron Death ◽

Roc Curve Analysis ◽

Precise Diagnosis

Abstract Background Microarray-based gene expression profiling has been widely used in biomedical research. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) can link microarray data directly to clinical traits and to identify rules for predicting pathological stage and prognosis of disease, it has been found useful in many biological processes. Stroke is one of the most common diseases worldwide, yet molecular mechanisms of its pathogenesis are largely unknown. We aimed to construct gene co-expression networks to identify key modules and hub genes associated with the pathogenesis of stroke.Results In this study, we screened out the differentially expressed genes from gene microarray expression profiles, then constructed the free-scale gene co-expression networks to explore the associations between gene sets and clinical features, and to identify key modules and hub genes. Subsequently, functional enrichment and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed. And the results show that a total of 11,747 most variant genes were used for co-expression network construction. Pink and yellow modules were found to be the most significantly related to stroke. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the pink module was mainly involved in regulation of neuron regeneration, and the repair of DNA damage, while the yellow module was mainly enriched in ion transport system dysfunction which were correlated with neuron death. A total of 8 hub genes (PRR11, NEDD9, Notch2, RUNX1-IT1, ANP32A-IT1, ASTN2, SAMHD1 and STIM1) were identified and validated at transcriptional levels (other datasets) and by existing literatures.Conclusions Eight hub genes (PRR11, NEDD9, Notch2, RUNX1-IT1, ANP32A-IT1, ASTN2, SAMHD1 and STIM1) may serve as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for precise diagnosis and treatment of stroke in the future.

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Application of Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis to Identify Key Modules and Hub Genes in Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-254358/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mi Zhou ◽

Ruru Guo ◽

Yongfei Wang ◽

Wanling Yang ◽

Rongxiu Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis ◽

Network Analysis ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Data Sets ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Highly Correlated

Abstract Background: Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is a severe autoinflammatory disorder whose molecular mechanism is still not clearly defined. To better understand the disease using scattered datasets from public domains, we performed a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify key modules and hub genes underlying sJIA pathogenesis.Methods: Two gene expression datasets, GSE7753 and GSE13501, were used to construct WGCNA. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were applied to the entirety of genes and the hub genes in the sJIA modules. Cytoscape was used to screen and visualize the hub genes. We further compared the hub genes with the GWAS genes and used a consensus WGCNA analysis to prove that our conclusions are conservative and reproducible across multiple independent data sets. Results: A total of 5414 genes were obtained for WGCNA, from which highly correlated genes were divided into 17 modules. The red module demonstrated the highest correlation with the sJIA module (r =0.8, p=3e−29), while the green-yellow module was found to be closely related to the non-sJIA module (r =0.62, p=1e−14). Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that the red module was largely enriched in activation of immune responses, infection, nucleosome and erythrocyte, the green-yellow module was mostly enriched in immune responses and inflammation. Additionally, the hub genes in the red module were highly enriched in erythrocyte differentiation, including ALAS2, AHSP, TRIM10, TRIM58 and KLF1. The hub genes from the green-yellow module were mainly associated with immune responses, exemplified by genes such as KLRB1, KLRF1, CD160, KIRs etc.Conclusion: We identified sJIA-related modules and several hub genes that might be associated with the development of sJIA. The two modules may help understand the mechanisms of sJIA and the hub genes may become biomarkers and therapeutic targets of sJIA in the future.

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