AUTHOR=Ma Xiao , Huang Tengda , Li Xiaoquan , Zhou Xinyi , Pan Hongyuan , Du Ao , Zeng Yong , Yuan Kefei , Wang Zhen 

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

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2024.1428973

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2024.1428973

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>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.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>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.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>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 (<italic>CDK1</italic>, <italic>KIF20A</italic>, <italic>TPX2</italic>, <italic>UBE2C</italic>, <italic>HJURP</italic>, <italic>CENPA</italic>, <italic>PLK1</italic>, <italic>MKI67</italic>, <italic>IFI6</italic>, <italic>IFIT2</italic>) 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.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>This research offer valuable insights into the molecular interplay between COVID-19 and GC, potentially guiding future therapeutic strategies.</p></sec>