Analysis of AKR1C3 Expression in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Based on GEO

doi:10.13701/j.cnki.kqyxyj.2021.06.008

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: To investigate the expression level and function of AKR1C3 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: OSCC-related chip data sets from GEO (gene expression omnibus) database were selected. DEGs were screened out in chips using R language and performed functional enrichment analysis. Protein-protein interaction network (PPI) and DEGs correlation graph were constructed. The relationship between the expression level of DEGs AKR1C3 and prognosis was analyzed, and the expression of AKR1C3 protein in OSCC was verified by immunohistochemistry. Results: A total of 411 DEGs were screened out, of which 20 were significantly up-regulated and down-regulated. DEGs were mainly involved in the process of T cell activation and regulation of lymphocyte activation, and were enriched in the cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, fluid shear stress, and atherosclerosis. The protein interaction network showed that AKR1C3 was most closely related to AKR1C1, AKR1B10, AKR1B1, etc. The correlation analysis of differentially expressed genes showed that AKR1C3 was most closely related to ALDH3A1, UGT1Ab, etc. The survival time of patients with high expression of AKR1C3 was shorter (P<0.05). The immunohistochemical results showed that the expression of AKR1C3 protein was up-regulated in OSCC tissues (P<0.05). Conclusion: AKR1C3 can be used as a potential molecular marker for early diagnosis, treatment target selection, and prognosis evaluation of oral squamous cell carcinoma, and provide reference for subsequent research.

Key words: oral squamous cell carcinoma, gene expression database, molecular markers, differentially expressed genes

LI Lei, CHEN Yanping, YANG Kaicheng, LI You, WANG Xinchen, LUO Fengyu. Analysis of AKR1C3 Expression in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Based on GEO[J]. Journal of Oral Science Research, 2021, 37(6): 514-518.

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