Potential Diagnostic Gene Set and Pathway Alterations in Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the eighth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. This study aimed to evaluate multiple functional genes involved in OC pathogenesis and diagnosis. The expression profiling of Fos Proto-Oncogene, Activator Protein-1 Transcription Factor Subunit (FOS), FOS Like 2, Activator Protein-1 Transcription Factor Subunit (FOSL2), Activator Protein-1 Transcription Factor Subunit Jun Proto-Oncogene (JUN), Matrix Metalloproteinases 2 (MMP-2), Matrix Metalloproteinases 9 (MMP-9) and Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP-2) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGFA) was performed using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in healthy ovary tissues (n=10) and high-grade serous OC tissues (n=10). Functional gene set and pathway analysis were conducted by the g: profiler web server. Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) was used for pathological stage and overall survival analysis in the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets.qRT-PCR results revealed that FOS (P-value = 0.0089), MMP-9 (P-value = 0.0029), and VEGFA (P-value = 0.0434) were upregulated. FOSL2 (P-value = 0.0271), JUN (P-value = 0.0041), and TIMP-2 (P-value = 0.0062) were downregulated. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the relaxin signaling pathway was the most significant (FDR=9.38e-08) biological pathway. The FOSL2 and TIMP-2 are significant in overall survival and pathological stage analysis, respectively. The analyzed genes may have the potential for personalized diagnosis and treatment.