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Published on: August 23, 2019
High Expression of PDE8B and DUOX2 Associated with Ability of Metastasis in Thyroid Carcinoma
Zhenguo Sun1, Xiaoshuai Yuan1, Peng Du1
1Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Lianyungang, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Lianyungang City 222000, China.
Background:
Hormone is an independent factor that induces differentiation of thyroid cancer (TC) cells. The thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) could promote the progression and invasion in TC cells. However, few genes related to hormone changes are studied in poorly differentiated metastatic TC. This study is aimed at constructing a gene set's coexpression correlation network and verifying the changes of some hub genes involved in regulating hormone levels.
Methods:
Microarray datasets of TC samples were obtained from public Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. R software and bioinformatics packages were utilized to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), important gene module eigengenes, and hub genes. Subsequently, the Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was constructed to explore important biological processes that are associated with the mechanism of poorly differentiated TC. Finally, some hub gene expressions were validated through real-time PCR and immunoblotting.
Results:
Gene chip with category number GSE76039 was analyzed, and 1190 DEGs were screened with criteria of P < 0.05 and ∣log2foldchange | >2. Our analysis showed that human dual oxidase 2 (DUOX2) and phosphodiesterase 8B (PDE8B) are the two important hub genes in a coexpression network. In addition, the validated experimental results showed that the expression levels of both DUOX2 and PDE8B were elevated in poorly differentiated metastatic TC tissues.
Conclusion:
This study identified and validated that DUOX2 and PDE8B were significantly associated with the metastasis ability of thyroid carcinoma.
Insights
Thyroid cancer (TC) progression is linked to hormone changes. This study identified dual oxidase 2 (DUOX2) and phosphodiesterase 8B (PDE8B) as key genes associated with TC metastasis.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Hormones, particularly thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), influence thyroid cancer (TC) cell differentiation, progression, and invasion.
- Limited research exists on genes affected by hormone changes in poorly differentiated metastatic TC.
- Understanding these genetic factors is crucial for developing targeted therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To construct a gene coexpression network for thyroid cancer.
- To identify and validate hub genes involved in hormone regulation and TC metastasis.
- To elucidate the biological processes underlying poorly differentiated TC.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) microarray datasets for TC samples.
- Applied R software and bioinformatics packages to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and hub genes.
- Performed Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and validated hub gene expression via real-time PCR and immunoblotting.
Main Results:
- Identified 1190 DEGs from the GSE76039 dataset.
- Discovered dual oxidase 2 (DUOX2) and phosphodiesterase 8B (PDE8B) as significant hub genes within the coexpression network.
- Confirmed elevated expression of DUOX2 and PDE8B in poorly differentiated metastatic TC tissues.
Conclusions:
- DUOX2 and PDE8B are significantly associated with the metastatic potential of thyroid carcinoma.
- These genes represent potential therapeutic targets for managing advanced TC.
- Further research into hormone-regulated genes in TC is warranted.

