Identification of candidate biomarkers for epithelial ovarian cancer metastasis using microarray data

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a common cancer in women worldwide. The present study assessed effective biomarkers for the prognosis of EOC metastasis. The GSE30587 dataset, containing 9 EOC primary tumor samples and 9 matched omental metastasis samples, was analyzed. Following normalization, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between these samples were identified using the limma package for R. Subsequently, pathway enrichment analysis was performed using ClueGO, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database. The microRNA (mRNA/miR)-target network was established using the multiMiR package. A set of 272 DEGs was identified in metastatic EOC samples, including 189 upregulated and 83 downregulated genes. Collagen type I α 1 chain (COL1A1), COL1A2, collagen type XI α 1 chain (COL11A1) and thrombospondin (THBS)1 were enriched in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), focal adhesion and extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction signaling pathways. THBS1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)3 were two dominant nodes in the PPI network and were key in the miRNA-target network, being targeted by hsa-miR-1. Multiple DEGs and miRNAs were identified as potential biomarkers for the prognosis of EOC metastasis in the present study, which likely affected metastasis by regulating the PI3K/Akt, ECM-receptor interaction and cell adhesion signaling pathways. In addition, THBS1 and TIMP3 were identified as potential targets of hsa-miR-1.