Open Access

Bioinformatic screening and identification of downregulated hub genes in adrenocortical carcinoma

  • Authors:
    • Fangshi Xu
    • Peng Zhang
    • Miao Yuan
    • Xiaojie Yang
    • Tie Chong
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: July 10, 2020     https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2020.8987
  • Pages: 2730-2742
  • Copyright: © Xu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The molecular mechanisms of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) carcinogenesis and progression remain unclear. In the present study, three microarray datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus database were screened, which identified a total of 96 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A protein‑protein interaction network (PPI) was established for these DEGs and module analysis was performed using STRING and Cytoscape. A total of eight hub genes were identified from the most significant module; namely, calponin 1 (CNN1), myosin light chain kinase (MYLK), cysteine and glycine rich protein 1 (CSRP1), myosin heavy chain 11 (MYH11), fibulin extracellular matrix protein 2 (EFEMP2), fibulin 1 (FBLN1), microfibril associated protein 4 (MFAP4) and fibulin 5 (FBLN5). The biological functions of these hub genes were analyzed using the DAVID online tool. Changes in the expression of hub genes did not affect overall survival; however, downregulated EFEMP2 decreased disease‑free survival. CSRP1 and MFAP4 expression levels were associated with adverse clinicopathological features. In conclusion, although all eight hub genes were downregulated in ACC, they appeared to have important functions in ACC carcinogenesis and progression. Identification of these genes complements the genetic expression profile of ACC and provides insight for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of ACC.
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September-2020
Volume 20 Issue 3

Print ISSN: 1792-0981
Online ISSN:1792-1015

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Copy and paste a formatted citation
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Spandidos Publications style
Xu F, Zhang P, Yuan M, Yang X and Chong T: Bioinformatic screening and identification of downregulated hub genes in adrenocortical carcinoma. Exp Ther Med 20: 2730-2742, 2020
APA
Xu, F., Zhang, P., Yuan, M., Yang, X., & Chong, T. (2020). Bioinformatic screening and identification of downregulated hub genes in adrenocortical carcinoma. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 20, 2730-2742. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2020.8987
MLA
Xu, F., Zhang, P., Yuan, M., Yang, X., Chong, T."Bioinformatic screening and identification of downregulated hub genes in adrenocortical carcinoma". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 20.3 (2020): 2730-2742.
Chicago
Xu, F., Zhang, P., Yuan, M., Yang, X., Chong, T."Bioinformatic screening and identification of downregulated hub genes in adrenocortical carcinoma". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 20, no. 3 (2020): 2730-2742. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2020.8987