Identification of FOXM1 and CXCR4 as key genes in breast cancer prevention and prognosis after intermittent energy restriction through bioinformatics and functional analyses

Abstract

We explored potential biomarkers and molecular mechanisms regarding breast cancer (BC) risk reduction after intermittent energy restriction (IER) and further explored the association between IER and BC prognosis. First, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in breast tissues before and after IER intervention by analyzing the expression profile from gene expression summary (GEO). Then, enrichment analysis was used to identify important pathways of DEGs and hub genes were selected from protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. After that, gene expression profiling interactive analysis (GEPIA), receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and Kaplan–Meier (KM) plotter were used to explore the preventive and prognostic value of hub genes. A total of 331 up-regulated genes and 126 down-regulated genes were identified and 6 genes were selected as hub genes for further study. After analyzing by GEPIA and KM, it was found that FOXM1 and CXCR4 were highly expressed in BC tissues and associated with the worse prognosis. FOXM1 and CXCR4 were down-regulated after IER intervention, which meant that FOXM1 and CXCR4 might be the most important key genes for reducing the risk and improving prognosis of BC after IER intervention. ROC curve indicated that FOXM1 and CXCR4 also had the predictive value for BC. Our study contributed to a better understanding of the specific mechanisms in protective effects of IER on BC and provided a new approach to improve the prognosis of BC, which might provide partial guidance for the subsequent development of more effective treatments and prevention strategies.