Villi development core-related gene expression associated with lung squamous cancer prognosis

Similarities between embryonic development and tumorigenesis are reflected in biological behavior and gene expression. Although the gene signature during development and the clinical phenotype of different cancers show certain correlation pattern, the correlation between early embryo development and cancer remains largely unexplored. To compare the gene expression profile between development and cancer, our study analyzed the gene expression of chorionic villi samples at different gestational ages (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 40 weeks) obtained from gene expression omnibus (GEO) datasets using correlation test. Then the villi development-related genes that gradually showed a positive correlation (upregulated) (n = 394) or negative correlation (downregulated) (n = 325) with time were used to construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. Three subnetworks among the gradually upregulated genes and 3 subnetworks among the downregulated genes were identified using the molecular complex detection (MCODE) plugin in Cytoscape software. The most significant GO terms for villi-correlated genes were immune, inflammatory response and cell division. These gene clusters were also dysregulated in lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Moreover the prognostic value of the gene clusters was then analyzed with TCGA lung SCC data, which showed 4 clusters that were associated with prognosis. Our results demonstrate the gene expression similarity between development and lung SCC and identified development-associated gene clusters that could contain prognostic information for lung SCC patients.