Open Access

Investigation of potential molecular biomarkers and small molecule drugs for hepatocellular carcinoma transformed from cirrhosis

  • Authors:
    • Feng Xie
    • Fang Zhu
    • Zaiming Lu
    • Zhengrong Liu
    • Hongyan Wang
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: May 24, 2016     https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2016.4615
  • Pages: 495-503
  • Copyright: © Xie et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in China and the third leading cause of cancer-associated morality. The aim of the present study was to investigate and analyze differentially‑expressed genes (DEGs) between cirrhosis and HCC, in order to screen the key genes involved in the transformation from cirrhosis to HCC and provide novel targets for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC in patients with cirrhosis. The gene expression profile, GSE17548, was obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus database and the DEGs were identified by LIMMA package in R language. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and gene ontology biology process analysis were performed for the DEGs. Differential co‑expression network (DEN) analysis was conducted and the network was visualized using Cytoscape. Small molecule drugs were also screened from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database for higher degree DEGs. A total of 95 DEGs were obtained, including 46 upregulated and 49 downregulated genes. The upregulated DEGs were primarily involved in biological processes and pathways associated with the cell cycle, while the downregulated DEGs were primarily involved in immune‑associated biological processes. A total of 22 key DEGs were identified by DEN analysis, which distinguished HCC from cirrhosis samples. Furthermore, estradiol, benzo(a)pyrene, acetaminophen, copper sulfate and bisphenol A were identified as the five most associated chemicals to these 22 DEGs. In conclusion, the hub genes and chemicals identified by the present study may provide a theoretical basis for additional research on diagnosis and treatment of HCC transformed from cirrhosis.
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July-2016
Volume 12 Issue 1

Print ISSN: 1792-1074
Online ISSN:1792-1082

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Copy and paste a formatted citation
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Spandidos Publications style
Xie F, Zhu F, Lu Z, Liu Z and Wang H: Investigation of potential molecular biomarkers and small molecule drugs for hepatocellular carcinoma transformed from cirrhosis. Oncol Lett 12: 495-503, 2016
APA
Xie, F., Zhu, F., Lu, Z., Liu, Z., & Wang, H. (2016). Investigation of potential molecular biomarkers and small molecule drugs for hepatocellular carcinoma transformed from cirrhosis. Oncology Letters, 12, 495-503. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2016.4615
MLA
Xie, F., Zhu, F., Lu, Z., Liu, Z., Wang, H."Investigation of potential molecular biomarkers and small molecule drugs for hepatocellular carcinoma transformed from cirrhosis". Oncology Letters 12.1 (2016): 495-503.
Chicago
Xie, F., Zhu, F., Lu, Z., Liu, Z., Wang, H."Investigation of potential molecular biomarkers and small molecule drugs for hepatocellular carcinoma transformed from cirrhosis". Oncology Letters 12, no. 1 (2016): 495-503. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2016.4615