ABSTRACT
@#Objective: To identify the specific Hub genes in young hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, and to explore their biological and clinical significance by using bioinformatic methods. Methods: The data information of HCC and normal tissues of young (≤40 years old at diagnosis) and old (＞40 years old at diagnosis) HCC patients were obtained from GEO chip data set GSE45267. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HCC tissues as comparing to normal tissues in the two groups were screened by using GEO2R and Venn chart software. The Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network of the specific DEGs in young group was constructed by bioinformatics tools STRING and Cytoscape to screen the Hub genes and significant modules. The Hub genes were verified by GEPIA database, and the overall survival time was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier. Finally, Gene Ontology (GO) Enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were used to analyze the DEGs specific to young group and the common DEGs of the two groups by DAVID. Results: Finally, 117 up-regulated and 179 down-regulated DEGs specific to the young group were screened out, and PPI network screened 10 most connected genes as Hub genes, among which 7 Hub genes were concentrated in the first module. Six up-regulated Hub genes, including TYMS, CDC6, BUB1, TPX2, OIP5 and KIF23, were indicated to associate with the poor prognosis in young HCC patients by GEPIA and Kaplan-Meier analysis. GO function and KEGG pathway analyses showed that the DEGs specific to young HCC patients were mainly involved in biological processes such as ATP binding, and were mainly enriched in S phase of cell cycle; while the common DEGs of two groups were mainly involved in biological processes such as cyclooxygenase P450 and cell division, and were mainly enriched in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Conclusion: In this study, 6 up-regulated DEGs specific to young group that suggested poor prognosis were identified, which may be the potential therapeutic and prognostic targets for young patients with HCC.