Mining Prognostic Significance Genes in Human Thyroid Cancer Using Bioinformatics Analysis

Background Thyroid carcinoma (THC) is very common, yet its pathogenesis and the key tumor marker genes remain unclear.Methods Gene expression datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and the Cancer Genome Atlas Project (TCGA) were used for gene differential expression analysis. Functional annotation analysis, Clinical prognosis analysis and Differential DNA methylation analysis were conducted on the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Results Compared with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), 237 differentially expressed THC intersection genes derived from GEO and TCGA were obtained, of which 153 genes were closely related to clinicopathological features and prognostic effects. Biological function analysis indicated that most of these DEGs were involved in the proteinaceous extracellular matrix, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, resulting in effects on tumor invasion and metastasis. Finally, the results of differential methylation levels demonstrated that the high expression of 4 genes (CHI3L1, NFE2L3, S100A2, and LAMB3) was strongly correlated with the development of thyroid cancer.Conclusions Proteinaceous extracellular matrix, EMT, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways were of great significance in the metastasis and invasion of THC. Genes such as CHI3L1, NFE2L3, S100A2, and LAMB3 were susceptible to THC.