Abstract
Background: Prognostic prediction models have been developed to detect new biomarkers of gastric cancer (GC). The identification of new biomarkers could provide theoretical foundations for the application of molecular targeted therapy in advanced GC. The aim of this study was to construct a prognostic prediction model for stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Methods: First, we used the "limma" package to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) based on TCGA database. Gene ontology (GO) analysis was performed using the "ClusterProfiler" package. The interactions between proteins and the relationships between differentially expressed genes and clinical features were analyzed by protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), respectively. Then, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and gene set variation analysis (GSVA) were used to identify differentially enriched pathways. The GenVisR package and CIBERSORT were used to identify mutations and assess immune infiltration. Finally, the expression of COL3A1 in STAD tissues was verified by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blotting.Results: Six differentially expressed genes were screened out, namely, COL3A1, ADAMTS12, BGN, FNDC1, AEBP1 and HTRA3. The enrichment results showed that differentially expressed genes were involved in multiple pathways in STAD, such as those related to the extracellular matrix, extracellular structure organization, and extracellular matrix organization. The differentially expressed genes were related to immune infiltration via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathways. The western blotting and RT-qPCR results suggested that COL3A1 was overexpressed in STAD tissues compared with normal tissues.Conclusion: COL3A1, ADAMTS12, BGN, FNDC1, AEBP1 and HTRA3 could play important roles in the tumorigenesis and progression of STAD via various pathways, including those involving the extracellular matrix, extracellular structure organization, and extracellular matrix organization. COL3A1, ADAMTS12, BGN, FNDC1, AEBP1, and HTRA3 act as oncogenes in most cancers and may be biomarkers. Additionally, the identification of COL3A1 as a candidate biomarker provides a direction for further research on the role of tumor immunity in gastric cancer.
Extracellular Matrix-Associated Pathways Promote the Progression of Gastric Cancer by Impacting the Dendritic Cell Axis
