In silico identification of key genes and signaling pathways targeted by a panel of signature microRNAs in prostate cancer

Accumulating evidence have suggested that some microRNAs are aberrantly expressed in prostate cancer. In our previous work, we had identified a panel of four differentially expressed microRNAs in prostate cancer. In the present study, we have investigated common molecular targets of this panel of miRNAs (DEMs) and key hub genes that can serve as potential candidate biomarkers in the pathogenesis and progression of prostate cancer. A joint bioinformatics approach was employed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in prostate cancer. Gene enrichment analysis followed by the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network construction and selection of hub genes was further performed using String and Cytoscape, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of the identified hub genes was conducted using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) tool. In total, 496 genes were identified to be common targets of DEMs in prostate cancer and 13 key hub genes were identified from three modules of the PPI network of the DEGs. Further top five genes viz Rhoa, PI3KCA, CDC42, MAPK3, TP53 were used for Enrichment analysis which revealed their association with vital cellular and functional pathways in prostate cancer indicating their potential as candidate biomarkers in prostate cancer.