Integrated analysis reveals candidate genes and transcription factors in lung adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of non‑small cell lung cancer in Asia. Therefore, it is important to improve understanding of the underlying transcriptional regulatory mechanisms involved. The present study aimed to identify potential candidate genes and transcription factors (TFs) associated with the disease. Four gene expression profiles were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, which included 141 lung adenocarcinoma patients and 191 healthy controls. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out and functional annotation was performed. In addition, TFs were identified and a global transcriptional regulatory network was constructed. Integrated analysis gave rise to a total of 1,238 DEGs in lung adenocarcinoma when compared with healthy tissues, including 970 upregulated and 268 downregulated DEGs. The six overexpressed outlier genes of ceruloplasmin, heparan sulfate 6‑O‑sulfotransferase 2, transmembrane protease serine 4, anillin actin binding protein, cellular retinoic acid binding protein 2 and cystatin SN may serve important roles in the development of lung adenocarcinoma. In addition, the downregulation of carbonic anhydrase 4 and S100 calcium binding protein A12 may render these effective diagnostic biomarkers. The results of the transcriptional regulatory network demonstrated that the hub nodes were sex determining region Y‑box 10, Spi‑B transcription factor and nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 2. The four TFs, forkhead box D1, E74‑like ETS transcription factor 5, homeobox A5 and kruppel‑like factor 5, may warrant future investigations into their function in disease development. In conclusion, the present study provided for further studies a list of candidate genes and TFs for the detection and treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.