Molecular analysis to identify novel potential biomarkers as drug targets in colorectal cancer therapy: an integrated bioinformatics analysis

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease that requires new diagnostic and prognostic markers. Integrated bioinformatics approach to identify novel therapeutic targets associated with CRC. Using GEO2R identified DEGs in CRC, and Funrich software facilitated the visualization of DEGs through Venn diagrams. From a total of 114 enhanced DEGs, potential hub genes were further filtered based on their nodal strength and edges using STRING database. To gain insights into the functional roles of these hub genes, gene ontology and pathway enrichment were conducted thorough g: profiler web server. Subsequently, overall survival plots from GEPIA and oncogenic predictive functions like mRNA expressions for stages and nodal metastasis were employed to identify hub genes in CRC patient samples. Additionally, the cBioPortal and HPA databases also revealed genetic alterations and expression levels in these hub genes in CRC patients, further supporting their involvement in colorectal cancer. Gene expression by RT-PCR shows upregulation of hub genes in HT-29 cells. Finally, our integrated bioinformatic analysis revealed that ABCE1, AURKA, HSPD1, PHKA1, CDK4, and YWHAE as hub genes with potential oncogenic roles in CRC. These genes hold promise as diagnostic and prognostic markers for colorectal tumorigenesis, providing insights into targeted therapies for improved patient outcomes.