A new finding in the key prognosis-related proto-oncogene FYN in hepatocellular carcinoma based on the WGCNA hub-gene screening trategy

• Main Authors: Guo, G. (Author), Huang, C. (Author), Nie, Y. (Author), Wang, A. (Author), Zhou, J. (Author), Zhu, X. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BioMed Central Ltd 2022
• Subjects: biology; Biomarker; Biomarkers, Tumor; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; COLEC10 protein, human; collectin; Collectins; Computational Biology; FYN; gene expression profiling; Gene Expression Profiling; gene expression regulation; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; gene regulatory network; Gene Regulatory Networks; genetics; Hepatocellular carcinoma; human; Humans; liver cell carcinoma; Liver Neoplasms; liver tumor; metabolism; pathology; prognosis; Prognosis; proto oncogene; Proto-Oncogenes; tumor marker; Weighted gene coexpressed network analysis
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third-most deadly cancer worldwide. More breakthroughs are needed in the clinical practice for liver cancer are needed, and new treatment strategies are required. This study aims to determine the significant differences in genes associated with LIHC and further analyze its prognostic value further. Methods: Here, we used the TCGA-LIHC database and the profiles of GSE25097 from GEO to explore the differentially co-expressed genes in HCC tissues compared with paratumor (or healthy) tissues. Then, we utilized WGCNA to screen differentially co-expressed genes. Finally, we explored the function of FYN in HCC cells and xenograft tumor models. Results: We identified ten hub genes in the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network, but only three (COLEC10, TGFBR3, and FYN) appeared closely related to the prognosis. The expression of FYN was positively correlated with the prognosis of HCC patients. The xenograft model showed that overexpression of FYN could significantly inhibit malignant tumor behaviors and promote tumor cell apoptosis. Conclusion: Thus, FYN may be central to the development of LIHC and maybe a novel biomarker for clinical diagnosis and treatment. © 2022, The Author(s).