Identification of Potential Biomarkers Associated with Basal Cell Carcinoma

This work is aimed at identifying several molecular markers correlated with the diagnosis and development of basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

The available microarray datasets for BCC were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between BCC and healthy controls. Afterward, the functional enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis of these screened DEGs were performed. An external validation for the DEG expression level was also carried out, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic values of DEGs.

In total, five microarray datasets for BCC were downloaded and 804 DEGs (414 upregulated and 390 downregulated genes) were identified. Functional enrichment analysis showed that these genes including CYFIP2, HOXB5, EGFR, FOXN3, PTPN3, CDC20, MARCKSL1, FAS, and PTCH1 were closely correlated with the cell process and PTCH1 played central roles in the BCC signaling pathway. Moreover, EGFR was a hub gene in the PPI network. The expression changes of six genes (CYFIP2, HOXB5, FOXN3, PTPN3, MARCKSL1, and FAS) were validated by an external GSE74858 dataset analysis. Finally, ROC analysis revealed that CYFIP2, HOXB5, PTPN3, MARCKSL1, PTCH1, and CDC20 could distinguish BCC and healthy individuals.

Nine gene signatures (CYFIP2, HOXB5, EGFR, FOXN3, PTPN3, CDC20, MARCKSL1, FAS, and PTCH1) may serve as promising targets for BCC detection and development.