Targeting colon cancer via antimicrobial RT2 peptide: a system biology study.

AIM

This study aims to investigate the anticancer molecular mechanism of RT2 through protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. For this aim, a bioinformatics evaluation of the proteome profile of colon cancer is carried out.

BACKGROUND

Antimicrobial peptides such as RT2 showed anticancer properties against various tumors. The molecular mechanism of the anticancer effect of RT2 is a challenging subject.

METHODS

By applying Cytoscape V.3.9.1 and integrated apps, the profile of the interaction network and related centrality is analyzed. An enrichment analysis of hub bottlenecks was also performed, and highlighted biological processes were visualized and determined.

RESULTS

Several 207 differentially expressed proteins were retrieved by PPI network analysis, and 10 hub bottlenecks were introduced. Among these differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), only AKT1 is from the queried DEPs. Key biological processes contributing to RT2 targeting mechanism include "Regulation of fibroblast proliferation", "Positive regulation of cyclin-dependent protein serine/threonine kinase activity", "positive regulation of miRNA transcription", and "fungiform papilla formation".

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, central proteins Tp53, MYC, EGFR, AKT1, HDAC1, and SRC can be introduced as a targeted biomarker panel of bioactive peptide treatments. However, extensive research is required to establish this claim before clinical application.