Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Mapping the Structure-Function Relationships of Disordered Oncogenic Transcription Factors Using Transcriptomic Analysis
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Mapping the Structure-Function Relationships of Disordered Oncogenic Transcription Factors Using Transcriptomic Analysis

Published on: June 27, 2020

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Systematic dissection of dysregulated transcription factor-miRNA feed-forward loops across tumor types

Wei Jiang, Ramkrishna Mitra, Chen-Ching Lin

    Briefings in Bioinformatics
    |December 15, 2015
    PubMed

    Insights

    This study identifies 26 cross-cancer feed-forward loops (FFLs) dysregulated in multiple tumor types. These pan-cancer FFLs offer insights into cancer mechanisms and potential new drug targets.

    Area of Science:

    • Genomics
    • Systems Biology
    • Cancer Research

    Background:

    • Transcription factors and microRNAs (miRNAs) form feed-forward loops (FFLs) that mutually regulate each other and target genes.
    • Dysregulated FFLs are implicated in various cancers, but a pan-cancer perspective is lacking.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To systematically identify and analyze dysregulated feed-forward loops across multiple cancer types (pan-cancer FFLs).
    • To explore the functional relationships and therapeutic potential of these pan-cancer FFLs.

    Main Methods:

    • Utilized The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data for comprehensive analysis.
    • Identified 26 pan-cancer FFLs dysregulated in at least five tumor types.
    • Analyzed network properties, functional subnetworks, and enrichment of cancer-associated genes and drug targets.

    Main Results:

    • Discovered 26 pan-cancer FFLs with significant dysregulation across multiple cancers.
    • These FFLs form interconnected subnetworks, including those related to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
    • Identified enrichment of cancer genes, drug targets, and network hubs/bottlenecks within these FFLs.
    • Found that proteins and miRNAs within subnetworks often belong to the same families.

    Conclusions:

    • Pan-cancer FFLs represent a conserved regulatory mechanism across diverse tumor types.
    • These FFLs provide a novel framework for understanding cancer pathogenesis.
    • The identified FFLs and associated genes/miRNAs are promising targets for novel anticancer drug development.
    Keywords:
    drug repositioningTF and miRNA regulatory networkfeed-forward loopgene and miRNA expressionpan-cancer

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