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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.
Sec. Gastroenterology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1428973
This article is part of the Research Topic From Bench to Bedside in Gastric Cancer: Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment - Volume II View all 7 articles

Exploration of the link between COVID-19 and gastric cancer from the perspective of bioinformatics and systems biology

Provisionally accepted
Xiao Ma Xiao Ma Tengda Huang Tengda Huang Xiaoquan Li Xiaoquan Li Xinyi Zhou Xinyi Zhou Hongyuan Pan Hongyuan Pan Ao Du Ao Du Yong Zeng Yong Zeng Kefei Yuan Kefei Yuan Zhen Wang Zhen Wang *
  • State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused a global pandemic. Gastric cancer (GC) poses a great threat to people's health, which is a high-risk factor for COVID-19. Previous studies have found some associations between GC and COVID-19, whereas the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Methods: We employed bioinformatics and systems biology to explore these links between GC and COVID-19. Gene expression profiles of COVID-19 (GSE196822) and GC (GSE179252) were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. After identifying the shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for GC and COVID-19, functional annotation, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, hub genes, transcriptional regulatory networks and candidate drugs were analyzed. Results: We identified 209 shared DEGs between COVID-19 and GC. Functional analyses highlighted immune-related pathways as key players in both diseases. Ten hub genes (CDK1, KIF20A, TPX2, UBE2C, HJURP, CENPA, PLK1, MKI67, IFI6, IFIT2) were identified. The transcription factor/gene and miRNA/gene interaction networks identified 38 transcription factors (TFs) and 234 miRNAs. More importantly, we identified ten potential therapeutic agents, including ciclopirox, resveratrol, etoposide, methotrexate, trifluridine, enterolactone, troglitazone, calcitriol, dasatinib and deferoxamine, some of which have been reported to improve and treat GC and COVID-19. Conclusions: This research offer valuable insights into the molecular interplay between COVID-19 and GC, potentially guiding future therapeutic strategies.

    Keywords: Bioinformatic analysis, Hub genes, gastric cancer, COVID-19, Therapeutic drug

    Received: 07 May 2024; Accepted: 04 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ma, Huang, Li, Zhou, Pan, Du, Zeng, Yuan and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Zhen Wang, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.