Bioinformatic Approaches for the Identification of Novel Tumor Suppressor Genes and Cancer Pathways in Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma.

Abstract

Background: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC, KIRC) is the most prevalent subtype of RCC, and even with different available therapies, the average progression-free survival is worse. Therefore, the identification of new molecular targets could be helpful for its therapeutic purposes.

Materials and methods: We used the Cancer Genome Atlas to perform bioinformatic analyses for genes with possible tumor suppressor roles in KIRC.

Objective: This research aims to identify new prognostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for this type of cancer.

Results: We identified 14 down-regulated genes in KIRC that had not previously been studied or poorly studied, with the majority of them impacted by increased promoter methylation. Eight genes showed shorter overall survival and worse prognosis, indicating their function as tumor suppressors, and six genes revealed good prognosis. From the 8 genes, C7ORF41 and CTXN3 revealed only downregulation in most cancers, proposing them as highly potential tumor suppressors. Among these 8 genes, the function of CTXN3 in cancers is unknown. Moreover, we identified the CWH43 gene as the major signature of KIRC. In addition, we found different genes as signatures of KIRC tumor stages and grades.

Conclusions: Our results may shed light on identifying KIRC pathogenesis and developing effective therapeutic targets for renal cancers, mainly KIRC.