Mining targets of lycopene on prostate cancer cells based on bioinformatics technique

Abstract:

Objective：Prostate cancer is the most common tumor in the urinary system. Tomato and other foods containing lycopene are effective in preventing prostate cancer and slowing down its development，but the mechanism of action of lycopene on prostate cancer is not clear. In this study，bioinformatics methods were used to explore the potential targets of lycopene acting on prostate cancer，which is helpful to further elucidate the molecular mechanism of action of lycopene in prostate protection and other potential applications. Methods：The microarray dataset of gene expression from prostate cancer tissues of patients supplemented with lycopene and placebo as control before and after treatment were searched for and downloaded from gene expression omnibus（GEO）. The gene co-expression module was constructed by weighted gene co-expression network analysis. GO and KEGG cluster analyses and hub gene screening were performed on modules highly associated with traits. Results：A total of 16 co-expression modules were constructed from 114 samples in the dataset GSE27140. Two of the co-expression modules were highly associated with traits，which involved in epithelial-mesenchymal cell transformation，sister chromatid separation，cell senescence and other signaling pathways. Two hub genes were identified through further analysis of module gene connectivity. Conclusion：This study has screened out the potential targets of lycopene in the treatment of prostate cancer，which provides a meaningful clue for elucidating the mechanism of action of lycopene.