Identification of key microRNAs in lung squamous cell carcinoma: a computational study

Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LUSC) is a severe malignancy, especially when diagnosed at advanced stages, with limited treatment options specifically targeting the disease. Exploring new molecular markers and therapeutic targets is crucial for improving outcomes. Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNA molecules that play a pivotal role in cell regulatory processes and are increasingly being recognized for their involvement in cancer progression and patient survival. This study aims to bridge the gap in understanding LUSC-associated miRNAs by identifying differentially expressed miRNAs, assessing their impact on patient survival, and analysing their functional roles and disease associations. The LUSC miRNA expression data was retrieved from the TCGA database, and differentially expressed miRNAs were identified on R studio using the ‘DEseq2’ package. Survival-relevant genes were identified using the clinical and miRNA expression data; overall survival estimations were analysed using the ‘Survival’ package. Network, Functional enrichment and disease association analysis was conducted on the 7 key miRNAs using MISIM v2 web tool. Our study revealed 81 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs with 41 down-regulated and 40 up-regulated miRNAs. In addition, another 81 survival-related miRNAs markedly affected patient outcomes, comprising 46 low-expression and 35 high-expression miRNAs associated with enhanced survival. 7 key miRNAs were both differentially expressed and contributing to survival. Network analysis of the 7 key miRNAs (miR-129-2, miR-181a-1, miR-501, miR-519a-1, miR-545, miR-6509, and miR-6761) identified five interconnected miRNAs (miR-129-2, miR-181a-1, miR-501, miR-519a-1, and, miR-545), while enrichment analysis underscored their involvement in cell death, blood-tumour barrier permeability, and carcinomas. Our comparative analysis of differentially expressed (DE) and survival-associated miRNAs highlights their potential as candidate biomarkers for disease diagnosis. Integrating these miRNAs into diagnostic and therapeutic strategies could improve precision medicine approaches for managing LUSC. However, further experimental validation of these findings is required.