The miRNA-mRNA networks in hepatocellular carcinoma: A bioinformatics approach

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Many studies confirm that the interaction between microRNAs and mRNAs plays an important role in the incipience and progression of HCC. Accordingly, to better appreciate the miRNA-mRNA interaction, gene expression data from liver tissue (GSE39791) was analyzed. Finally, six up-regulated and 62 down-regulated genes were identified using the LIMMA package in R. After that, significant mRNAs were analyzed by the miRNet database based on liver tissue; significant interactions of 56 microRNAs were found that targeted mRNAs, miRNA-mRNA network was visualized by Cytoscape software. Pathways analysis and biological processes of significant mRNAs with clusterProfiler and Goplot packages showed that the retinol metabolism, drug metabolism and chemical carcinogens pathways were the most significantly affected in HCC. But, the detoxification of inorganic compounds, retinol metabolism and terpenoid metabolism were the most meaningful in biological processes. Examination of signalling pathways revealed that the metabolic pathway is a critical biomarker in both of these two types of gastrointestinal cancer, which may serve a role in the pathogenesis. Examination of signaling pathways revealed that, the metabolic pathway as a critical biomarker in both of these two types of gastrointestinal cancer, which may serve a role in the pathogenesis. In summary, the present survey provided evidence that could support the prognosis of liver tumors in the future.