Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes and associated pathways common to Eyelid and Non-Ocular Basal Cell Carcinoma to understand the Molecular Biology of BCC

BackgroundEyelid BCC accounts for more than 90% of Eyelid malignant neoplasms. Various aberrant signalling pathways and genes in Non-Ocular BCC have been found whereas Eyelid bcc remains elusive. ObjectiveThis study aims to find the common DEGs of Eyelid and Non-Ocular BCC using bioinformatic analysis and text mining to gain more insights into the molecular aspects common to both BCC non-ocular and Eyelid BCC and to identify common potential prognostic markers. Material and methodThe Gene Expression profiles of Eyelid BCC (GSE103439) and Non-Ocular BCC (GSE53462) were obtained from the NCBI GEO database followed by identification of common DEGs. Protein-Protein interaction and Pathway Enrichment analysis of these screened genes was done using bioinformatic tools like STRING, Cytoscape and BiNGO, DAVID, KEGG respectively. ResultsA total of 181 genes were found common in both datasets. A PPI network was formed for the screened genes and 20 HUB genes were sorted which included CTNNB1, MAPK14, BTRC, EGFR, ADAM17. Pathway enrichment of HUB genes showed that they were dysregulated in carcinogenic and apoptotic pathways that seem to play a role in the progression of both the BCC. ConclusionThe result and findings of bioinformatic analysis highlighted the molecular pathways and genes enriched in both Eyelid BCC as well as Non-Ocular BCC. The identified pathways should be studied further to recognise common molecular events that would lead to the progression of BCC. This may provide a window to explore the prognostic and therapeutic strategies common to both BCC.