Roles of WDR12 and MRTO4 genes in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer refers to malignant tumors occurring in the walls of the colon or rectum. The roles of WD Repeat Domain 12 (WDR12) and mitochondrial ribosome-associated tumor suppressor 4 (MRTO4) genes in colorectal cancer remain unclear. The colorectal cancer dataset GSE113513 configuration file was downloaded from the gene expression omnibus database generated from GPL15207. Differentially expressed genes screening, functional enrichment analysis, gene set enrichment analysis, Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis, construction and analysis of protein-protein interaction networks, survival analysis, and gene expression heatmap plotting were conducted. Comparative toxicogenomics database analysis was performed to find diseases most relevant to core genes. TargetScan was used to screen miRNAs regulating core genes. A total of 3106 differentially expressed genes were identified. According to gene ontology analysis, they mainly enriched in organic acid metabolic processes, condensed chromosome kinetochore, oxidoreductase activity, and cell cycle. In Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes analysis, they primarily concentrated in the cell cycle, TGF-β signaling pathway, Jak-STAT signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Ras signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, NF-kB signaling pathway, and WNT signaling pathway. Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis with a soft thresholding power set to 12 generated 29 modules. The protein-protein interaction network identified 6 core genes (DDX27, NAT10, WDR12, DKC1, MRTO4, and NOP56). Survival analysis showed core genes (POSTN, MYH11, LUM, COL6A3, and COL4A1) as risk factors. Gene expression heatmap revealed high expression of core genes (WDR12 and MRTO4) in colorectal samples. Comparative toxicogenomics database analysis linked core genes (WDR12 and MRTO4) with local tumor infiltration, bowel obstruction, abdominal pain, and colorectal neoplasms. WDR12 and MRTO4 genes are highly expressed in colorectal cancer, potentially influencing its progression.