1. Identification of candidate target genes of pituitary adenomas based on the DNA microarray
- Author
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Zhaoyue Yan, Wei Zhou, Ya-zhou Xing, and Chun-Xiao Ma
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Cancer Research ,Computational biology ,Pituitary neoplasm ,Biology ,Biochemistry ,Small Molecule Libraries ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,GLI2 ,Gene expression ,Genetics ,Cluster Analysis ,Humans ,Pituitary Neoplasms ,Protein Interaction Maps ,Molecular Biology ,Gene ,Genetic Association Studies ,Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ,Genome, Human ,Gene Expression Profiling ,Molecular medicine ,Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ,Gene expression profiling ,Gene Ontology ,030104 developmental biology ,Oncology ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Molecular Medicine ,Human genome ,DNA microarray ,Genes, Neoplasm - Abstract
The present study aimed to explore molecular mechanisms involved in pituitary adenomas (PAs) and to discover target genes for their treatment. The gene expression profile GSE4488 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using the Limma package and analyzed by two‑dimensional hierarchical clustering. Gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses were performed in order to investigate the functions of DEGs. Subsequently, the protein‑protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using Cytoscape software. DEGs were then mapped to the connectivity map database to identify molecular agents associated with the underlying mechanisms of PAs. A total of 340 upregulated and 49 downregulated DEGs in PA samples compared with those in normal controls were identified. Hierarchical clustering analysis showed that DEGs were highly differentially expressed, indicating their aptness for distinguishing PA samples from normal controls. Significant gene ontology terms were positive regulation of immune system-associated processes for downregulated DEGs and skeletal system development for upregulated DEGs. Pathways significantly enriched by DEGs included extracellular matrix (ECM)‑receptor interaction, the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway and neuroactive ligand‑receptor interaction. The PPI network was constructed with 117 nodes, 123 edges and CD44 and Gli2 as hub nodes. Furthermore, depudecin, a small molecule drug, was identified to be mechanistically associated with PA. The genes CD44 and Gli2 have important roles in the progression of PAs via ECM‑receptor interaction and the Hh signaling pathway and are therefore potential target genes of PA. In addition, depudecin may be a candidate drug for the treatment of PAs.
- Published
- 2016