Published online Nov 27, 2020. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v12.i11.442
Peer-review started: July 28, 2020
First decision: August 9, 2020
Revised: August 13, 2020
Accepted: October 12, 2020
Article in press: October 12, 2020
Published online: November 27, 2020
Gastric cancer (GC) stem cells are the primary cause of GC metastasis and drug resistance.
The purpose of this study was to characterize the expression of stem cell-related genes in GC.
Targeting for inhibiting the stemness characteristics of GC cells will become a new treatment for tumors
RNA sequencing results and clinical data for gastric adenoma and adeno-carcinoma samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and the results of the GC mRNA expression-based stemness index (mRNAsi) were analyzed. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was then used to find modules of interest and their key genes. Survival analysis of key genes was performed using the online tool Kaplan-Meier Plotter, and the online database Oncomine was used to assess the expression of key genes in GC.
mRNAsi was significantly upregulated in GC tissues compared to normal gastric tissues (P < 0.0001). A total of 16 modules were obtained from the gene coexpression network; the brown module was most positively correlated with mRNAsi. Sixteen
RAD54L, TPX2, and XRCC2 are the most positively correlated with mRNAsi and are the most likely therapeutic targets for inhibiting the stemness characteristics of gastric cancer cells.
This study aimed to identify key genes related to stemness by combining WGCNA with GC mRNAsi in TCGA, thus providing new ideas for the treatment of GC.