Construction of miRNA-mRNA regulatory network and signal pathway analysis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract:

Objective：We using bioinformatics methods to screen differentially expressed miRNA（DE miRNA） and its target genes and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma（ESCC） differentially expressed genes（DEGs） in ESCC，we perform GO and KEGG enrichment. Then，we screen for genes associated with the of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods：Gene expression profile datasets and microRNA（miRNA） expression profile datasets were downloaded from the NCBI gene expression omnibus（GEO） database，DE miRNA and DEGs in ESCC tissues were screened using GEO2R tool. The target genes of DE miRNAs were predicted by using the online databases TargetScan，StarBase，miRWalk and miRDB. The target genes of DE miRNA and DEGs were taken together，GO and KEGG enrichment analysis was performed using DAVID online database，the survival analysis was performed using GEPIA website. Results：Four DE miRNAs were screened from the GEO database（miR-34c-5p，miR-944，miR-133b and miR-139-5p expression） and the expression of DE miRNA in ESCC tissues and normal esophageal tissues were analyzed. GO enrichment analysis of can－didate genes indicated that it was mainly involved in cell proliferation，apoptosis，migration et al. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that it was mainly enriched in PI3K/AKT、Rap1、P53 signaling pathway，survival analysis found COL1A1，SOX4 is associated with poor disease-free survival（DFS）. Conclusion：MiR-34c-5p，miR-944，miR-133b and miR-139-5p may play a role in the develop－ment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Through the pre－dictive analysis of target genes of four DE miRNAs，it provides a theoretical basis for further research on the pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.