Screening and identification of key biomarkers in alimentary tract cancers: A bioinformatic analysis

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Cai, Zeling^{a; 1} | Wei, Yi^{b; 1} | Chen, Shuai^{b; 1} | Gong, Yu^b | Fu, Yue^b | Dai, Xianghua^a | Zhou, Yan^b | Yang, Haojun^b | Tang, Liming^{b; *} | Liu, Hanyang^{b; *}

Affiliations: [a] Genter of General Surgery, The Affiliated Haimen People’s Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China | [b] Center of Gastrointestinal Disease, The Affiliated Changzhou No. 2 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding authors: Hanyang Liu, Center of Gastrointestinal disease, The Affiliated Changzhou No. 2 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 68 Gehu Rd, Wujin District, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China. E-mail: brandenliu@live.com; Liming Tang, Center of Gastrointestinal disease, The Affiliated Changzhou No. 2 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 68 Gehu Rd, Wujin District, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China. E-mail: drtangliming@163.com.

Note: [1] Zeling Cai, Yi Wei and Shuai Chen contributed equally to the article.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Alimentary tract cancers (ATCs) are the most malignant cancers in the world. Numerous studies have revealed the tumorigenesis, diagnosis and treatment of ATCs, but many mechanisms remain to be explored. METHODS: To identify the key genes of ATCs, microarray datasets of oesophageal cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. In total, 207 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened. KEGG and GO function enrichment analyses were conducted, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was generated and gene modules analysis was performed using STRING and Cytoscape. RESULTS: Five hub genes were screened, and the associated biological processes indicated that these genes were mainly enriched in cellular processes, protein binding and metabolic processes. Clinical survival analysis showed that COL10A1 and KIF14 may be significantly associated with the tumorigenesis or pathology grade of ATCs. In addition, relative human ATC cell lines along with blood samples and tumour tissues of ATC patients were obtained. The data proved that high expression of COL10A1 and KIF14 was associated with tumorigenesis and could be detected in blood. CONCLUSION:In conclusion, the identification of hub genes in the present study helped us to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis and identify potential diagnostic indicators and targeted treatment for ATCs.

Keywords: Alimentary tract cancers, differentially expressed genes, microarray datasets, enrichment analysis, survival analysis

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-201580

Journal: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 221-233, 2020