scholarly journals Identification of key gene modules and genes in colorectal cancer by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA)

Author(s):  
Zheying Zhang ◽  
Na Li ◽  
Qingzu Gao ◽  
Xinlai Qian

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant tumor particularly common in developing countries. In this study, we used Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) of chip data and screened hub genes in CRC to find the gene modules specifically correlated with clinical traits. Methods: WGCNA was used to identify the gene modules specifically associated with metastasis in colorectal cancer. Cytoscape software was used to construct a co-expression network. The expression of CYTH1 was determined by qRT-PCR. Results: Based on the predicted co-expression network, we identified that the turquoise module was associated with CRC clinical metastasis traits. Turquoise module genes were analyzed, and we identified the hub gene CYTH1 using Cytoscape software. Additionally, we found CYTH1’s expression was lower in CRC tissue and cells when compared with normal counterparts.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheying Zhang ◽  
Na Li ◽  
Qingzu Gao ◽  
Xinlai Qian

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant tumor particularly common in developing countries. In this study, we used Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) of chip data and screened hub genes in CRC to find the gene modules specifically correlated with clinical traits. Methods: WGCNA was used to identify the gene modules specifically associated with metastasis in colorectal cancer. Cytoscape software was used to construct a co-expression network. The expression of CYTH1 was determined by qRT-PCR. Results: Based on the predicted co-expression network, we identified that the turquoise module was associated with CRC clinical metastasis traits. Turquoise module genes were analyzed, and we identified the hub gene CYTH1 using Cytoscape software. Additionally, we found CYTH1’s expression was lower in CRC tissue and cells when compared with normal counterparts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Songtao Feng ◽  
Linli Lv ◽  
Gao Yueming ◽  
Cao Jingyuan ◽  
Di Yin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Aims Diabetic nephropathy (DN) and its most severe manifestation, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), remains one of the leading causes of reduced lifespan in people with diabetes. Identifying novel molecules that are involved in the pathogenesis of DN has both diagnostic and therapeutic implications. The gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) algorithm represents a novel systems biology approach that provide the approach of association between gene modules and clinical traits to find the module involvement into the certain phenotypic trait. The goal of this study was to identify hub genes and their roles in DN from the aspect of whole gene transcripts analysis. Method Various types of chronic kidney diseases (CKD), including DN, microarray-based mRNA gene expression data, listed in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, were analyzed. Next, we constructed a weighted gene co-expression network and identified modules distinguishing DN from normal or other types of CKD by WGCNA. Functional annotations of the genes in modules specialized for DN were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis. Through protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis and hub gene screening, the hub genes specific for DN were obtained. Furthermore, we drew ROC curves to determine the diagnosis and differential diagnosis value to DN of hub genes. Finally, another study of microarray in the GEO database was selected to verify the expression level of hub genes and in the “Nephroseq” database, the correlation between the gene expression level and eGFR was analyzed. Results “GSE99339”, glomerular tissue microarray in 187 patients with a total of 10947 genes, was selected for analysis. After excluding the inappropriate cases, a total of 179 specimens were analyzed, including 14 cases of DN, 22 cases of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), 15 cases of hypertensive nephropathy (HT), 26 cases of IgA nephropathy (IgAN), 13 cases of minimal change disease (MCD), 21 cases of membranous nephropathy (MGN), 23 cases of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN), 30 cases of lupus nephritis (LN) and 14 cases of kidney tissue adjacent to tumor. Co-expression network analysis by WGCNA identified 23 distinct gene modules of the total 10947 genes and revealed “MEsaddlegreen” module was strongly correlated with DN (r=0,54), but not with other groups. GO functional annotation showed that these 64 genes in the “MEsaddlegreen” module mainly enriched in the deposition of extracellular matrix, which represents the specific and diagnostic pathophysiological process of DN. Further PPI and hub gene screening analysis revealed that LUM, ELN, FBLN1, MMP2, FBLN5 and FMOD can be served as hub genes, which had been proved to play an important role in the deposition of extracellular matrix. Furthermore, we found that the expression of hub genes was the highest in DN group and for the diagnosis value of DN by each gene, the area under the ROC curve is about 0.75∼0.95. The external verification of another study showed that compared with the normal control group, the expression of these hub genes was the highest in the DN group, and their expression level was negatively correlated with eGFR. Conclusion Using WGCNA and further bioinformatics approach, we identified six hub genes that appear to be identical to DN development. As such, they may represent potential diagnostic biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets with clinical utility.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Nianwu Wang ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Wenli Mao ◽  
Nazuke Kuerbantayi ◽  
Nuan Jia ◽  
...  

Background. The majority of lung cancers are adenocarcinomas, with the proportion being 40%. The patients are mostly diagnosed in the middle and late stages with metastasis and easy recurrence, which poses great challenge to the treatment and prognosis. Platinum-based chemotherapy is a primary treatment for adenocarcinoma, which frequently causes drug resistance. As a result, it is important to uncover the mechanisms of the chemoresponse of adenocarcinoma to platinum-based chemotherapy. Methods. The genes from the dataset GSE7880 were gathered into gene modules with the assistance of weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), the gene trait significance absolute value (|GS|), and gene module memberships (MM). The genes from hub gene modules were calculated with a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis in order to obtain a screening map of hub genes. The hub genes with both a high |GS| and MM and a high degree were selected. Furthermore, genes in the hub gene modules also went through a Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis. Results. 11 hub genes in four hub gene modules (LY86, ACTR2, CDK2, CKAP4, KPNB1, RBBP4, SMAD4, MYL6, RPS27, TSPAN2, and VAMP2) were chosen as the significant hub genes. Through the GO function enrichment analysis, it was indicated that four modules were abundant in immune system functions (floralwhite), amino acid biosynthetic process (lightpink4), cell chemotaxis (navajowhite2), and targeting protein (paleturquoise). Four hub genes with the highest |GS| were verified by prognostic analysis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Wang ◽  
Huaixin Zheng ◽  
Jiayu Zhang ◽  
Yashu Wang ◽  
Pingping Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) has been one of the most common malignancies worldwide, which tends to get worse for the growth and aging of the population and westernized lifestyle. However, there is no effective treatment due to the complexity of its etiology. Hence, the pathogenic mechanisms remain to be clearly defined. In the present study, we adopted an advanced analytical method—Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to identify the key gene modules and hub genes associated with CRC. In total, five gene co-expression modules were highly associated with CRC, of which, one gene module correlated with CRC significantly positive (R = 0.88). Functional enrichment analysis of genes in primary gene module found metabolic pathways, which might be a potentially important pathway involved in CRC. Further, we identified and verified some hub genes positively correlated with CRC by using Cytoscape software and UALCAN databases, including PAICS, ATR, AASDHPPT, DDX18, NUP107 and TOMM6. The present study discovered key gene modules and hub genes associated with CRC, which provide references to understand the pathogenesis of CRC and may be novel candidate target genes of CRC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Yan ◽  
Shijie Zhu ◽  
Miao Zhu ◽  
Chunsheng Wang ◽  
Changfa Guo

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common tachyarrhythmia in the clinic, leading to high morbidity and mortality. Although many studies on AF have been conducted, the molecular mechanism of AF has not been fully elucidated. This study was designed to explore the molecular mechanism of AF using integrative bioinformatics analysis and provide new insights into the pathophysiology of AF.Methods: The GSE115574 dataset was downloaded, and Cibersort was applied to estimate the relative expression of 22 kinds of immune cells. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified through the limma package in R language. Weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to cluster DEGs into different modules and explore relationships between modules and immune cell types. Functional enrichment analysis was performed on DEGs in the significant module, and hub genes were identified based on the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Hub genes were then verified using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).Results: A total of 2,350 DEGs were identified and clustered into eleven modules using WGCNA. The magenta module with 246 genes was identified as the key module associated with M1 macrophages with the highest correlation coefficient. Three hub genes (CTSS, CSF2RB, and NCF2) were identified. The results verified using three other datasets and qRT-PCR demonstrated that the expression levels of these three genes in patients with AF were significantly higher than those in patients with SR, which were consistent with the bioinformatic analysis.Conclusion: Three novel genes identified using comprehensive bioinformatics analysis may play crucial roles in the pathophysiological mechanism in AF, which provide potential therapeutic targets and new insights into the treatment and early detection of AF.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liyuan Liu ◽  
Shan Wu ◽  
Dan Jiang ◽  
Yuliang Qu ◽  
Hongxia Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Abnormal expression of Circular RNAs (circRNAs) occurs in the occurrence and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of tumors. We combined bioinformatics and laboratory-validated methods to search for key circRNAs and possible potential mechanisms. Methods: Colorectal cancer tissues and normal paracancerous tissues were detected by microarray analysis and qRT-PCR validation, and differentially expressed circRNAs were screened and identified. The circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network (cirReNET) was constructed, Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were used to ascertain the functions of circRNAs in CRCs. In addition, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of hub genes which acquired by string and plugin app CytoHubba in cytoscape was established. Validation of expression of hub genes was identified by GEPIA database. Results: 564 differentially expressed circRNAs which include 207 up-regulated and 357 down-regulated circRNAs were detected. The top 3 up-regulated circRNAs (hsa_circRNA_100833, hsa_circRNA_103828, hsa_circRNA_103831) and the top 3 down-regulated circRNAs (hsa_circRNA_103752, hsa_circRNA_071106, hsa_circRNA_102293) in chip analysis were chosen to be verified in 33 pairs of CRCs by qRT-PCR. The cirReNET include of 6 circRNAs, 19 miRNAs and 210 mRNA. And the targeted mRNAs were associated with cellular metabolic process, cell cycle and glandular epithelial cell differentiation and so on. 12 and 10 target hub genes were shown separately in upregulated circRNA-downregulated miRNA-upregulated mRNA (UcDiUm-RNA) group and downregulated circRNA-upregulated miRNA-downregulated mRNA (DcUiDm-RNA) group. Finally, we may have predicted and discovered several critical circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory axes (cirReAXEs) which may play important roles in colorectal cancer. Conclusion: We constructed a cirReNET including 6 candidate circRNAs, which were crucial in CRCs, may become potential diagnostic markers and predictive indicators of CRCs, and we may provide a research direction for the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lantao Gu ◽  
Ruoxi Jing ◽  
Yanzhang Gong ◽  
Mei Yu ◽  
Abdelmotaleb Elokil ◽  
...  

Abstract The number of days (DN) when hens lay fertile eggs as well as the number of fertile eggs (FN) were produced after a single artificial insemination (AI), including the two duration of fertility (DF) traits. Indeed, they are the key production performance that associates with the production cost of hatching egg when its determination the interval between successive artificial inseminations. However, the relevant genes response for regulating the DF has not been uncovered yet. Therefore, we performed a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to investigate the insight into co-expression gene modules on DF process in hens. The total mRNA was extracted from the utero-vaginal junction (UVJ, with the sperm storage function in hen’s oviduct which is the biological basis for DF) of 20 hens with several levels of DF traits, and performed transcriptome sequences of mRNA. As a result, three co-expression gene modules were identified to be highly correlated with DF traits. Moreover, the expression changes of top 5 hub genes in each module with DF traits were further confirmed in other 20 hens by RT-PCR. These findings highlighted the co-expression modules and their affiliated genes as playing important roles in the regulation of DF traits.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Songtao Feng ◽  
Bicheng Liu ◽  
Linli Lv ◽  
Gao Yueming ◽  
Di Yin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Aims The fact that activation of the innate immune system and chronic inflammation are closely involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic Kidney disease (DKD). Recent studies have suggested the inflammatory process plays a crucial role in the progression of DKD. Identifying novel inflammatory molecules closely related to the decline of renal function is of significance in diagnosing and predicting the progression of DKD. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) algorithm represents a novel systems biology method that provide the approach of association between gene modules and clinical traits to find the genes involvement into the certain phenotypic trait. The goal of this study was to identify hub genes and their roles in DKD from the gene sets associated with the decline of renal function by WGCNA. Method The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and “Nephroseq” website were searched and transcriptome study from DN biopsies with well-established clinical phenotypic data were selected for analysis. Next, we constructed a weighted gene co-expression network and identified modules negatively correlated with eGFR by WGCNA in the data of glomerular tissue. Functional annotations of the genes in modules negatively correlated with eGFR were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Through protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis and hub gene screening, the hub genes were obtained. Furthermore, we compared the expression level of hub genes between DKD and normal control and drew ROC curves to determine the diagnosis value to DKD of these genes. Results The microarray-based expression datasets GSE30528 were screened out for analysis, which included glomeruli tissue of 9 cases of DKD and 13 cases of control. This microarray platform represented the transcriptome profile of 12411 well-characterized genes. Using WGCNA, a total of 19 gene modules were identified. Then module eigengene were analyzed for correlation with clinical traits of age, sex, ethnicity and eGFR and the “MEhoneydew1” module showed negative associated with eGFR (r=-0.58). GO functional annotation showed that these 551 genes in the “MEhoneydew1” module mainly enriched in the T cell activation. KEGG annotation showed mainly enriched in chemokine signaling pathway. Except for C3, top 10 hub genes, CCR5, CXCR4, CCR7, CCL5, CXCL8, CCR2, CCR1, CX3CR1, C3AR1 and C3, are all members of chemokines or chemokine receptors. Furthermore, we compared the expression level of these 9 genes between DKD and control, and found that all of these 9 genes increased in the DKD group, and the differences of 6 genes, CCR5, CCR7, CCL5, CCR2, CCR1, C3AR1, were of statistical significance. Linear correlation analysis showed that the expression of these 6 genes was negatively correlated with eGFR, and the ROC curve showed that the area under the curve could reach 0.812∼1.0. Conclusion We identified a panel of 6 hub genes focused on chemokines and chemokine receptors critical for decline of renal function of DKD using WGCNA. These genes may serve as biomarkers for diagnosis/prognosis and as putative novel therapeutic targets for DKD.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
XU LIU ◽  
Li Yao ◽  
Jingkun Qu ◽  
Lin Liu ◽  
XU LIU ◽  
...  

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.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuxiang Ge ◽  
Wang Ding ◽  
Chong Bian ◽  
Huijie Gu ◽  
Jun Xu ◽  
...  

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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