ABSTRACT
Objective To identify potential microRNAs (miRNAs) in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma and to construct a miRNA-mRNA regulatory network to better understand its potential molecular mechanisms. Methods Two microarray datasets of SACC were downloaded from the database Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and the differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNA were analyzed by the R language. FunRich 3. 1. 3 software was used to enrich and analyze the transcription factors of differential miRNAs and to predict the target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs. The target genes of differential miRNAs in SACC were utilized to perform Gene Onotology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses, and protein-protein interaction. The miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was constructed in Cytoscape 3.7.0. Results A total of 144 differentially expressed miRNA (DEMs) and 1216 differentially expressed mRNA (DEGs) were screened. The enrichment analysis of KEGG signaling pathway revealed that target genes were mainly involved in the regulation of Rapi signaling pathway, mitogen active protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway, and regulation of actin cytoskeleton. STRING protein interaction analysis shows that ACSL1, SCD, MGLL, FABP4 may be the key proteins in the protein interaction network. Conclusion Differentially expressed miRNA and mRNA between SACC tissues and normal tissues were screened out and the signaling pathways and functions of these differential molecules were found in our research.