Li Wenjuan, Gao Hong, Liu Jianjun
Department of Oncology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Breast Cancer Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine,The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, University of Science and Technology of China, NO. 107, West 2nd Ring Road, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Discov Oncol. 2024 Dec 18;15(1):771. doi: 10.1007/s12672-024-01603-y.
The diffuse gastric cancer (DGC) is a malignant tumor distinct from intestinal gastric cancer (IGC). This study aims to identify genetic variances and potential diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for diverse types of gastric cancer utilizing an extensive dataset. Data from RNA sequencing and clinical pathological details were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset. Co-expression gene modules were constructed via Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), followed by deciphering gene functions and protein-protein interaction networks within significantly associated modules. In total, analysis was conducted on 56,753 genes from 247 individuals with gastric cancer. Particularly, 621 genes from the green module exhibited strong associations with the Lauren type of gastric cancer. The prominent genes in the green module showed enrichment in processes such as signal transduction, immune response, and the positive regulation of GTPase activity. Noteworthy among these, VCAM1 was identified as the central gene linked to patients' prognosis. Moreover, 72 gastric cancer specimens were collected from The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated a significantly higher expression of VCAM1 in DGC compared to IGC (p = 0.019). Furthermore, it was confirmed that VCAM1 expression serves as a prognostic indicator for patients with DGC (p = 0.002), a correlation not observed in IGC (p = 0.760). In conclusion, this study identifies VCAM1 as a promising diagnostic and prognostic factor, suggesting novel avenues for diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in gastric cancer.
弥漫性胃癌（DGC）是一种与肠型胃癌（IGC）不同的恶性肿瘤。本研究旨在利用广泛的数据集确定不同类型胃癌的基因变异以及潜在的诊断和治疗方法。从癌症基因组图谱（TCGA）数据库和基因表达综合数据库（GEO）数据集中获取RNA测序数据和临床病理细节。通过加权基因共表达网络分析（WGCNA）构建共表达基因模块，随后在显著相关模块中解读基因功能和蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用网络。总共对来自247例胃癌患者的56753个基因进行了分析。特别地，绿色模块中的621个基因与劳伦分型的胃癌表现出强烈关联。绿色模块中的显著基因在信号转导、免疫反应和GTPase活性的正调控等过程中表现出富集。其中值得注意的是，血管细胞黏附分子1（VCAM1）被确定为与患者预后相关的核心基因。此外，从中国科学技术大学附属第一医院收集了72份胃癌标本。免疫组织化学分析表明，与IGC相比，DGC中VCAM1的表达显著更高（p = 0.019）。此外，已证实VCAM1表达是DGC患者的预后指标（p = 0.002），而在IGC中未观察到这种相关性（p = 0.760）。总之，本研究确定VCAM1是一个有前景的诊断和预后因素，为胃癌的诊断和治疗方法开辟了新途径。
