Open AccessIdentification of hub genes and pathways in adrenocortical carcinoma by integrated bioinformatic analysis
Author(s) -
Guo Jinshuai,
Gu Yinzhong,
Ma Xiaoyu,
Zhang Lu,
Li Huimin,
Yan Zhongyi,
Han Yali,
Xie Longxiang,
Guo Xiangqian
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of cellular and molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.44
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1582-4934
pISSN - 1582-1838
DOI - 10.1111/jcmm.15102
Subject(s) - kegg , biology , gene , adrenocortical carcinoma , carcinogenesis , cell cycle , bub1 , gene expression , computational biology , cyclin dependent kinase 1 , transcriptome , genetics , cancer research , microbiology and biotechnology , kinetochore , chromosome , endocrinology
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare malignant neoplasm originating from adrenal cortical cells, has high malignancy and few treatments. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the molecular mechanism of tumorigenesis, screen and verify potential biomarkers, which will provide new clues for the treatment and diagnosis of ACC. In this paper, three gene expression profiles (GSE10927, GSE12368 and GSE90713) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained using the Limma package. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were enriched by DAVID. Protein‐protein interaction (PPI) network was evaluated by STRING database, and PPI network was constructed by Cytoscape. Finally, GEPIA was used to validate hub genes’ expression. Compared with normal adrenal tissues, 74 up‐regulated DEGs and 126 down‐regulated DEGs were found in ACC samples; GO analysis showed that up‐regulated DEGs were enriched in organelle fission, nuclear division, spindle, et al, while down‐regulated DEGs were enriched in angiogenesis, proteinaceous extracellular matrix and growth factor activity; KEGG pathway analysis showed that up‐regulated DEGs were significantly enriched in cell cycle, cellular senescence and progesterone‐mediated oocyte maturation; Nine hub genes ( CCNB1, CDK1, TOP2A, CCNA2, CDKN3, MAD2L1, RACGAP1, BUB1 and CCNB2 ) were identified by PPI network; ACC patients with high expression of 9 hub genes were all associated with worse overall survival (OS). These hub genes and pathways might be involved in the tumorigenesis, which will offer the opportunities to develop the new therapeutic targets of ACC.