scholarly journals Application of Bioinformatics Analysis to Identify Important Pathways and Hub Genes in Ovarian Cancer Affected by WT1

Author(s):  
Kai Meng ◽  
Jinghe Cao ◽  
Yehao Dong ◽  
Mengchen Zhang ◽  
Chunfeng Ji ◽  
...  

Wilms tumor gene (WT1) is used as a marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of ovarian cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms involving WT1 in ovarian cancer require further study. Herein, we used bioinformatics and other methods to identify important pathways and hub genes in ovarian cancer affected by WT1. The results showed that WT1 is highly expressed in ovarian cancer and is closely related to the overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS) of ovarian cancer. In ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3, WT1 downregulation increased the mRNA expression of 638 genes and decreased the mRNA expression of 512 genes, which were enriched in the FoxO, AMPK, and the Hippo signaling pathways. The STRING online tool and Cytoscape software were used to construct a Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and for Module analysis, and 18 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were selected. Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis revealed that 16 of 18 genes were related to prognosis. Analysis of GEPIA datasets indicated that 7 of 16 genes were differentially expressed in ovarian cancer tissues and in normal tissues. The expression of IGFBP1 and FBN1 genes increased significantly after WT1 interference, while the expression of the SERPINA1 gene decreased significantly. The correlation between WT1 expression and that of these three genes was consistent with that of ovarian cancer tissues and normal tissues. According to the GeneMANIA online website analysis, there were complex interactions between WT1, IGFBP1, FBN1, SERPINA1, and 20 other genes. In conclusion, we have identified important signaling pathways involving WT1 that affect ovarian cancer, and distinguished three differentially expressed genes regulated by WT1 associated with the prognosis of ovarian cancer. Our findings provide evidence outlining mechanisms involving WT1 gene expression in ovarian cancer and provides a rational for novel treatment of ovarian cancer.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feifei Liu ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Wenxue Li ◽  
Diancheng Li ◽  
Yuwei Xin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies of the digestive system; the progression and prognosis of which are affected by a complicated network of genes and pathways. The aim of this study was to identify potential hub genes associated with the progression and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC).Methods: We obtained gene expression profiles from GEO database to search differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between CRC tissues and normal tissue. Subsequently, we conducted a functional enrichment analysis, generated a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network to identify the hub genes, and analyzed the expression validation of the hub genes. Kaplan–Meier plotter survival analysis tool was performed to evaluate the prognostic value of hub genes expression in CRC patients.Results: A total of 370 samples, involving CRC and normal tissues were enrolled in this article. 283 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 62 upregulated genes and 221 downregulated genes between CRC and normal tissues were selected. We finally filtered out 6 hub genes, including INSL5, MTIM, GCG, SPP1, HSD11B2, and MAOB. In the database of TCGA-COAD, the mRNA expression of INSL5, MT1M, HSD11B2, MAOB in tumor is lower than that in normal; the mRNA expression of SPP1 in tumor is higher than that in normal. In the HPA database, the expression of INSL5, GCG, HSD11B2, MAOB in tumor is lower than that in normal tissues; the expression of SPP1 in the tumor is higher than that in normal tissues. Survival analysis revealed that INSL5, GCG, SPP1 and MT1M may serve as prognostic biomarkers in CRC. Conclusions: We screened out six hub genes to predict the occurrence and prognosis of patients with CRC using bioinformatics methods, which may provide new targets and ideas for diagnosis, prognosis and individualized treatment for CRC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cuicui Dong ◽  
Xin Tian ◽  
Fucheng He ◽  
Jiayi Zhang ◽  
Xiaojian Cui ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynecological tumors, and among gynecological tumors, its incidence and mortality rates are fairly high. However, the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer is not clear. The present study aimed to investigate the differentially expressed genes and signaling pathways associated with ovarian cancer by bioinformatics analysis. Methods The data from three mRNA expression profiling microarrays (GSE14407, GSE29450, and GSE54388) were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes between ovarian cancer tissues and normal tissues were identified using R software. The overlapping genes from the three GEO datasets were identified, and profound analysis was performed. The overlapping genes were used for pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis using the Metascape online tool. Protein–protein interactions were analyzed with the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING). Subnetwork models were selected using the plugin molecular complex detection (MCODE) application in Cytoscape. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to analyze the univariate survival outcomes of the hub genes. The Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) were used to validate hub genes. Results In total, 708 overlapping genes were identified through analyses of the three microarray datasets (GSE14407, GSE29450, and GSE54388). These genes mainly participated in mitotic sister chromatid segregation, regulation of chromosome segregation and regulation of the cell cycle process. High CCNA2 expression was associated with poor overall survival (OS) and tumor stage. The expression of CDK1, CDC20, CCNB1, BUB1B, CCNA2, KIF11, CDCA8, KIF2C, NDC80 and TOP2A was increased in ovarian cancer tissues compared with normal tissues according to the Oncomine database. Higher expression levels of these seven candidate genes in ovarian cancer tissues compared with normal tissues were observed by GEPIA. The protein expression levels of CCNA2, CCNB1, CDC20, CDCA8, CDK1, KIF11 and TOP2A were high in ovarian cancer tissues, which was further confirmed via the HPA database. Conclusion Taken together, our study provided evidence concerning the altered expression of genes in ovarian cancer tissues compared with normal tissues. In vivo and in vitro experiments are required to verify the results of the present study.


Hereditas ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 158 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haoming Li ◽  
Linqing Zou ◽  
Jinhong Shi ◽  
Xiao Han

Abstract Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder, and the lesions originate in the entorhinal cortex (EC) and hippocampus (HIP) at the early stage of AD progression. Gaining insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying AD is critical for the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder. Recent discoveries have uncovered the essential roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in aging and have identified the potential of miRNAs serving as biomarkers in AD diagnosis. Methods We sought to apply bioinformatics tools to investigate microarray profiles and characterize differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in both EC and HIP and identify specific candidate genes and pathways that might be implicated in AD for further analysis. Furthermore, we considered that DEGs might be dysregulated by miRNAs. Therefore, we investigated patients with AD and healthy controls by studying the gene profiling of their brain and blood samples to identify AD-related DEGs, differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs), along with gene ontology (GO) analysis, KEGG pathway analysis, and construction of an AD-specific miRNA–mRNA interaction network. Results Our analysis identified 10 key hub genes in the EC and HIP of patients with AD, and these hub genes were focused on energy metabolism, suggesting that metabolic dyshomeostasis contributed to the progression of the early AD pathology. Moreover, after the construction of an miRNA–mRNA network, we identified 9 blood-related DEmiRNAs, which regulated 10 target genes in the KEGG pathway. Conclusions Our findings indicated these DEmiRNAs having the potential to act as diagnostic biomarkers at an early stage of AD.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanjie Han ◽  
Xinxin Li ◽  
Jiliang Yan ◽  
Chunyan Ma ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Melanoma is the most deadly tumor in skin tumors and is prone to distant metastases. The incidence of melanoma has increased rapidly in the past few decades, and current trends indicate that this growth is continuing. This study was aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms of melanoma pathogenesis and discover underlying pathways and genes associated with melanoma.Methods: We used high-throughput expression data to study differential expression profiles of related genes in melanoma. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of melanoma in GSE15605, GSE46517, GSE7553 and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets were analyzed. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by paired t-test. Then the DEGs were performed cluster and principal component analyses and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network construction. After that, we analyzed the differential genes through bioinformatics and got hub genes. Finally, the expression of hub genes was confirmed in the TCGA databases and collected patient tissue samples.Results: Total 144 up-regulated DEGs and 16 down-regulated DEGs were identified. A total of 17 gene ontology analysis (GO) terms and 11 pathways were closely related to melanoma. Pathway of pathways in cancer was enriched in 8 DEGs, such as junction plakoglobin (JUP) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In the PPI networks, 9 hub genes were obtained, such as loricrin (LOR), filaggrin (FLG), keratin 5 (KRT5), corneodesmosin (CDSN), desmoglein 1 (DSG1), desmoglein 3 (DSG3), keratin 1 (KRT1), involucrin (IVL) and EGFR. The pathway of pathways in cancer and its enriched DEGs may play important roles in the process of melanoma. The hub genes of DEGs may become promising melanoma candidate genes. Five key genes FLG, DSG1, DSG3, IVL and EGFR were identified in the TCGA database and melanoma tissues.Conclusions: The results suggested that FLG, DSG1, DSG3, IVL and EGFR might play important roles and potentially be valuable in the prognosis and treatment of melanoma.


Reproduction ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 153 (5) ◽  
pp. 645-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao Zhao ◽  
Wen-Qian Zhang ◽  
Ji-Long Liu

Although regional differences in mouse decidualization have been recognized for decades, the molecular mechanisms remain understudied. In the present study, by using RNA-seq, we compared transcriptomic differences between the anti-mesometrial (AM) region and the mesometrial (M) region of mouse uterus on day 8 of pregnancy. A total of 1423 differentially expressed genes were identified, of which 811 genes were upregulated and 612 genes were downregulated in the AM region compared to those in the M region. Gene ontology analysis showed that upregulated genes were generally involved in cell metabolism and differentiation, whereas downregulated genes were associated with lymphocyte themes and immune response. Through network analysis, we identified a total of 6 hub genes. These hub genes are likely more important than other genes due to their key positions in the network. We also examined the promoter regions of differentially expressed genes for the enrichment of transcription factor-binding sites. In the end, we demonstrated that a similar regional gene expression pattern can be observed in the artificial decidualization model. Our study contributes to an increase in the knowledge on the molecular mechanisms underlying regional decidualization in mice.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuang Li ◽  
Yuan Lyu ◽  
Caixia Liu

Abstract Background: Ovarian cancer is a common cancer that affects the quality of women’s life. With the limitation of the early diagnosis of the disease, ovarian cancer has a high mortality rate worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor invasion, proliferation, and metastasis in ovarian cancer remain unclear. We aimed to identify, using bioinformatics, important genes and pathways that may serve crucial roles in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of ovarian cancer. Methods: Three microarray datasets (GSE14407, GSE36668, and GSE26712) were selected for whole-genome gene expression profiling , and differentially expressed genes were identified between normal and ovarian cancer tissues. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were performed using DAVID. Additionally, a protein-protein interaction network was constructed to reveal possible interactions among the differently expressed genes. The prognostic values of the hub genes were investigated using Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and the KM plotter database. Meanwhile, the mRNA expression analysis of the hub genes was performed using the GEPIA database. Results: We obtained 247 upregulated and 530 downregulated differently expressed genes, and 52 hub genes in the significant gene modules. Enrichment analysis revealed that the hub genes were significantly ( P < 0.05) associated with proliferation. Additionally, BIRC5, CXCL13, and PBK were revealed to be significantly associated with the clinical prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. Immunohistochemical staining results obtained from the Human Protein Atlas revealed that BIRC5, PBK, and CXCL13 were highly expressed in ovaria cancer tissues. Conclusion Three-gene signatures ( BIRC5, CXCL13 , and PBK ) are associated with the occurrence, development, and prognosis of OC, and may therefore serve as biological markers of the disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 153303382096213
Author(s):  
Liqi Li ◽  
Mingjie Zhu ◽  
Hu Huang ◽  
Junqiang Wu ◽  
Dong Meng

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rare type of thyroid cancer that results in fatal clinical outcomes; the pathogenesis of this life-threatening disease has yet to be fully elucidated. This study aims to identify the hub genes of ATC that may play key roles in ATC development and could serve as prognostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Two microarray datasets (GSE33630 and GSE53072) were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database; these sets included 16 ATC and 49 normal thyroid samples. Differential expression analyses were performed for each dataset, and 420 genes were screened as common differentially expressed genes using the robust rank aggregation method. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were conducted to explore the potential bio-functions of these differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The terms and enriched pathways were primarily associated with cell cycle, cell adhesion, and cancer-related signaling pathways. Furthermore, a protein-protein interaction network of DEG expression products was constructed using Cytoscape. Based on the whole network, we identified 7 hub genes that included CDK1, TOP2A, CDC20, KIF11, CCNA2, NUSAP1, and KIF2C. The expression levels of these hub genes were validated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses of clinical specimens. In conclusion, the present study identified several key genes that are involved in ATC development and provides novel insights into the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of ATC development.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jichao JI ◽  
Shuai ZHANG ◽  
Junyu LUO ◽  
Li WANG ◽  
Xiangzhen ZHU ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Aphis gossypii is a worldwide sap-sucking pest with a variety of hosts and a vector of more than 50 plant viruses. The strategy of wing polyphenism, mostly resulting from population density increasing, contributes to the evolutionary success of this pest. However, the related molecular basis remains unclear. Here, we identified the effects of postnatal crowding on wing morph determination in cotton aphid, and examined the transcriptomic differences between wingless and wing morphs. Results Effect of postnatal crowding on wing determination in A. gossypii was evaluated firstly. Under the density of 5 nymphs·cm− 2, no wing aphids appeared. Proportion of wing morphs rised with the increase of density in a certain extent, and peaked to 56.1% at the density of 20 nymphs·cm− 2, and reduced afterwards. Then, transcriptomes of wingless and wing morphs were assembled and annotated separately to identify potentially exclusively or differentially expressed transcripts between these two morphs, in which 3 126 and 3 392 unigenes annotated in Nr (Non-redundant protein sequence) database were found in wingless or wing morphs exclusively. Moreover, 3 187 up- and 1 880 down-regulated genes were identified in wing versus wingless aphid. Pathways analysis suggested the involvement of differentially expressed genes in multiple cellular signaling pathways involved in wing morphs determination, including lipid catabolic and metabolism, insulin, ecdysone and juvenile hormone biosynthesis. The expression levels of related genes were validated by the reverse transcription quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) soon afterwards. Conclusions The present study identified the effects of postnatal crowding on wing morphs induction and demonstrated that the critical population density for wing morphs formation in A. gossypii was 20 nymphs·cm− 2. Comparative transcriptome analysis provides transcripts potentially expressed exclusively in wingless or wing morph, respectively. Differentially expressed genes between wingless and wing morphs were identified and several signaling pathways potentially involved in cotton aphid wing differentiation were obtained.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baoliang Zhang ◽  
Lei Yuan ◽  
Guanghui Chen ◽  
Xi Chen ◽  
Xiaoxi Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Obese individuals predispose to ossification of ligamentum flavum (OLF), whereas the underlying connections between obesity phenotype and OLF pathomechanism are not fully understood, especially during early life. This study aimed to explore obesity-associated genes and their functional signatures in OLF. Methods: Gene microarray expression data related to OLF were downloaded from the GSE106253 dataset in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The potential obesity-related differentially expressed genes (ORDEGs) in OLF were screened. Then, gene-ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were applied for these genes. Furthermore, protein-protein interactions (PPI) were used to identify hub ORDEGs, and Metascape was used to further verify the key signaling pathways and immune-related function signatures of hub ORDEGs. Finally, correlation analysis of hub ORDEGs and identified OLF-related infiltrating immune cells (OIICs) was constructed to understand the possible mechanical link among obesity, immune response and OLF. Results: OLF-related differentially expressed genes and 2051 obesity-related genes from four databases were intersected to obtain 99 ORDEGs, including 54 upregulated and 55 downregulated genes. GO and KEGG analysis revealed that these genes were mainly involved in metabolism, inflammation and immune-related biological functions and pathways. A PPI network was established to determine 14 hub genes (AKT1, CCL2, CCL5, CXCL2, ICAM1, IL10, MYC, PTGS2, SAA1, SOCS1, SOCS3, STAT3, TNFRSF1B and VEGFA). The co-expression network demonstrated that this module was associated with cellular response to biotic stimulus, regulation of inflammatory response, regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT protein. Furthermore, Metascape functional annotations showed that hub genes were mainly involved in receptor signaling pathway via JAK-STAT, response to TNF and regulation of defense response, and their representative enriched pathways were TNF, adipocytokine and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. Subgroup analysis indicated that T cell activation might be potential immune function processes involved, and correlation analysis revealed that cDCs, memory B-cells and preadipocytes were highly correlated infiltrating immune cells. Conclusions: Our study deciphered individualized obesity-associated gene signature for the first time, which may facilitate exploring the underlying cellular and molecular pathogenesis and novel therapeutic targets of obesity-related early-onset OLF.


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