Identification of Survival-Associated Long Non-Coding RNAs Hubs in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma through Bioinformatics Analysis

Backgrounds: Thyroid cancer is the most abundant endocrine malignancy which accounts for۱.۷% of all cancer cases. It has been reported that diagnosis of thyroid cancer especiallyPapillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC) using a common method is problematic. So, it is essential todevelop molecular biomarkers for accurate diagnosis through a clear understanding ofpathogenesis. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of survival-related Long Non-CodingRNAs (LncRNAs) in the Competing endogenous RNA (CeRNA) network related to thepathogenesis of PTC.Materials and Methods: RNA-seq data of the GDC database were collected; Differentially-Expressed (DE) mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs were screened between PTC patients andnormal samples. The results of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), GeneOntology (GO), and Disease Ontology (DO) analysis demonstrated enrichment of cancerpathways including extracellular matrix, collagen-containing extracellular matrix, extracellularmatrix structural constituent, protein digestion, and absorption and endocrine gland cancer. Byusing the Kaplan – Meier survival analysis; survival-related DEmRNAs and survival-relatedDElncRNAs were constructed and then a survival-related ceRNA network was established.Using MCC analysis, Hub-lncRNAs that may play a role in PTC were identified.Results: Finally, three lncRNAs, including AL۱۶۲۵۱۱.۱, AC۰۹۰۶۷۳.۱, and AL۳۶۵۲۵۹.۱ throughbioinformatics analysis, were retrieved.Conclusion: In conclusion, the established ceRNA network may lead to clear up the regulatorymechanism by which lncRNAs function as ceRNAs and support the pathogenesis of PTC.Consequentially, the targeted lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs contributed to the ceRNAnetwork can be further investigated as potential therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers forPTC.

Keywords:

LncRNA , Thyroid Cancer , Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma , CeRNA Network , Bioinformatic Analysis