Multi-platform analysis of methylation-regulated genes in human lung adenocarcinoma

ABSTRACT

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most frequent pathological type of lung cancer that has a poor prognosis and high mortality rate. DNA methylation plays a critical role in various biological processes during development, while dysregulation results in pathological consequences. Thus, this study aimed to identify DNA methylation-regulated genes involved in LUAD occurrence. Initially, 300 downregulated and 168 upregulated mRNA expression levels were identified in two databases: Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas. In addition, GEO was utilized to detect 243 DNA hyper-methylated sites. Based on our observations, it was possible to correlate downregulation of mRNA expression and DNA hyper-methylation of six genes (ABCA3, COX7A1, HOXA5, SLIT3, SOX17, and SPARCL1). Functional analysis of the six genes indicated that these genes are predominantly enriched in cancer-related pathways and may promote carcinogenesis by regulating epithelialmesenchymal transition processes. In conclusion, our study identified a panel of DNA methylation-regulated genes involved in LUAD and may serve as potential epigenetic markers for this type of carcinoma.

KEYWORDS:

• Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD)
• TheCancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)
• Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)
• methylation
• multi-platform analysis

Supplementary material

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Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81573178, 81172707). The study was also supported by Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases as well as the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).