Bioinformatics analysis of differentially expressed genes in thyroid cancer

  Objective  To investigate the pathogenesis of thyroid carcinoma (THCA) in female, and screen Hub genes of THCA by bioinformatics.

  Methods  A total of 1 780 patients diagnosed with THCA were divided into male group (n=300) and female group (n=1 480) according to gender. The data of thyroid cancer and normal tissue in two groups were obtained by GEO chip data set GSE29265. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in two groups of cancer tissues and relatively normal tissues were screened, respectively. The protein interaction network of DEGs was constructed and Hub genes were screened. Hub genes were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) in female group with THCA.

  Results  The analysis found that the incidence of THCA in female was 4.93 times higher than that in male. In the female group and the male group, 163 and 165 DEGs with more than 4 fold difference were screened out, respectively, and ten as well as eight Hub genes were screened out, respectively, among which 4 Hub genes were found in two groups, and 6 Hub genes were unique in the female group. Among 163 genes in the female group, 8 Hub genes were involved in the biological process and related signaling pathways of female THCA.

  Conclusion  PROM1, EVA1A, PRSS23, ITGA2, NCAM1 and KIT are the unique DEGs to female THCA patients, which may become potential therapeutic targets for female THCA patients.