Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive malignant cancer in the adrenal cortex with poor prognosis. Though previous research has attempted to elucidate the progression of ACC, its molecular mechanism remains poorly understood.Methods
Gene transcripts per million (TPM) data were downloaded from the UCSC Xena database, which included ACC (The Cancer Genome Atlas, n = 77) and normal samples (Genotype Tissue Expression, n = 128). We used weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify gene connections. Overall survival (OS) was determined using the univariate Cox model. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by the search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes.Results
To determine the critical genes involved in ACC progression, we obtained 2,953 significantly differentially expressed genes and nine modules. Among them, the blue module demonstrated significant correlation with the "Stage" of ACC. Enrichment analysis revealed that genes in the blue module were mainly enriched in cell division, cell cycle, and DNA replication. Combined with the PPI and co-expression networks, we identified four hub genes (i.e., TOP2A, TTK, CHEK1, and CENPA) that were highly expressed in ACC and negatively correlated with OS. Thus, these identified genes may play important roles in the progression of ACC and serve as potential biomarkers for future diagnosis.
SUBMITTER: Xia WX
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6421058 | biostudies-literature | 2019
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Xia Wang-Xiao WX Yu Qin Q Li Gong-Hua GH Liu Yao-Wen YW Xiao Fu-Hui FH Yang Li-Qin LQ Rahman Zia Ur ZU Wang Hao-Tian HT Kong Qing-Peng QP
PeerJ 20190314
<h4>Background</h4>Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive malignant cancer in the adrenal cortex with poor prognosis. Though previous research has attempted to elucidate the progression of ACC, its molecular mechanism remains poorly understood.<h4>Methods</h4>Gene transcripts per million (TPM) data were downloaded from the UCSC Xena database, which included ACC (The Cancer Genome Atlas, <i>n</i> = 77) and normal samples (Genotype Tissue Expression, <i>n</i> = 128). We used weigh ...[more]