A bioinformatics approach to decode core genes and molecular pathways shared by breast cancer and endometrial cancer

• Published in: Informatics in medicine unlocked Vol. 17; p. 100274
• Main Authors: Rahman, Md Foyzur, Rahman, Md Rezanur, Islam, Tania, Zaman, Toyfiquz, Shuvo, Md Abu Hena, Hossain, Md Tofazzal, Islam, Md Rafiqul, Karim, Md Rezaul, Moni, Mohammad Ali
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2019; Elsevier
• Subjects: Breast cancer; Differentially expressed genes; Endometrial cancer; Molecular pathways; Protein–protein interaction; Survival analysis; Molecular pathways; Survival analysis; Differentially expressed genes; Breast cancer; Endometrial cancer; Protein–protein interaction
• ISSN: 2352-9148; 2352-9148
• DOI: 10.1016/j.imu.2019.100274

Endometrial cancer (EC) arises from the lining of the uterus, and is a common female genital tract malignancy of post-menopausal women. Breast cancer (BC) is one of the risk factors for EC, but the molecular pathways and core genes shared by these two diseases have not yet been elucidated. In this study, we sought to identify the common molecular pathways and prognostic hub proteins in EC and BC that can be used for the prediction of the progression. We employed the statistical method Limma to perform differential analysis of transcriptomes of EC and BC downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus. The gene functional annotations were performed through gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis. Hub proteins were identified from the protein-protein interactions (PPI) network analysis using the STRING database, and survival analysis was done on the hub proteins to assess the prognostic values using SurvExpress. We analyzed the EC and BC transcriptomics datasets individually, and 57 common differentially expressed genes were identified, shared by both EC and BC. GO and pathway analysis showed that 57 commonly dysregulated genes were involved in several altered molecular pathways, including protein digestion and absorption, cysteine and methionine metabolism, ECM-receptor interaction, and drug metabolism. We have detected key hub proteins (CDC20, EZH2, TOP2A, SPTBN1) based on a topological analysis of the PPI network which play vital roles in the progression and regulation of EC and BC. The survival analysis of the hub genes demonstrated that they were significantly associated with worse survival outcomes in EC and BC. In the present study, we have identified novel pathways shared by EC and BC at the molecular level, and also identified possible gene expression links between EC and BC.
•Endometrial and breast cancer transcriptomics were studied.•A total of 57 differentially expressed genes were identified shared by EC and BC.•Several altered molecular pathways were identified.•Protein-protein interactions network analysis revealed four hub proteins.•Survival analysis showed the significant prognostic values of the hub proteins.