Comprehensive analysis of the regulatory network of differentially expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs in gastric cancer

Abstract

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common types of human cancers. However, the mechanisms underlying GC remained largely unclear. To determine whether the differentially expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs in GC, we screened conducted SBC-ceRNA microarray analysis in 3 pairs of GC and normal tissues. Furthermore, differentially expressed mRNAs mediated protein protein interaction (PPI) networks, lncRNAs mediated cis-regulatory network, and circRNA mediated ceRNA network were for the first time constructed to reveal their potential functions and mechanisms in GC. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis (qRT-PCR) was conducted to validate the microarray analysis. A total of 922 mRNAs, 2112 lncRNAs and 2896 circRNAs were observed to be dysregulated in GC samples. Bioinformatics analysis showed these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly associated with regulating branched − chain amino acid catabolic process, Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis and ARF protein signal transduction. Moreover, we found the dysregulation of key mRNAs and lncRNAs were associated with the overall survival time in GC patients. We believe this study provides useful information for understanding the mechanism underlying GC progression and exploring potential therapeutic and prognostic targets for GC.