TRIP13 identified by WGCNA as a progression-related and prognostic biomarker in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC) remains one of the most lethal gynecological malignancies, and its molecular mechanisms are still not fully elucidated. Although TRIP13 has been linked to several cancers, its role in OC is not clearly defined. This study aimed to identify TRIP13 as an OC-related gene and evaluate its clinical significance through integrated bioinformatic analyses and experimental validation. Gene expression datasets GSE81778 and GSE140082 were retrieved from GEO. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between OC and benign ovarian tissues were identified using the “limma” package. GO and KEGG analyses were conducted for functional enrichment. Hub genes were screened using the MCODE plugin in Cytoscape. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was applied to identify clinically relevant modules, leading to the selection of TRIP13 and CENPF. TRIP13 protein expression was confirmed by immunohistochemistry in OC and normal ovarian tissues. Clinical data were analyzed to determine the association between TRIP13 expression and patient survival (PFS). A total of 532 DEGs were identified. MCODE screening yielded 25 hub genes, while WGCNA revealed 19 gene modules, with the magenta module significantly associated with OC traits. TRIP13 was markedly overexpressed in OC tissues and positively correlated with higher tumor stage. Kaplan–Meier and multivariate Cox analyses in our independent clinical validation cohort demonstrated that high TRIP13 expression was an independent predictor of poorer progression-free survival. TRIP13 is identified as a potential oncogenic gene in ovarian cancer. Its high expression and association with advanced disease highlight its value as a biomarker and potential therapeutic target.