Identification of the key genes and pathways involved in the tumorigenesis and prognosis of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma

Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) is the most common renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, patients with KIRC usually have poor prognosis due to limited biomarkers for early detection and prognosis prediction. In this study, we analysed key genes and pathways involved in KIRC from an array dataset including 26 tumour and 26 adjacent normal tissue samples. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed with the WGCNA package, and 20 modules were characterized as having the highest correlation with KIRC. The upregulated genes in the tumour samples are involved in the innate immune response, whereas the downregulated genes contribute to the cellular catabolism of glucose, amino acids and fatty acids. Furthermore, the key genes were evaluated through a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network combined with a co-expression network. The comparatively lower expression of AGXT, PTGER3 and SLC12A3 in tumours correlates with worse prognosis in KIRC patients, while higher expression of ALOX5 predicts reduced survival. Our integrated analysis illustrated the hub genes involved in KIRC tumorigenesis, shedding light on the development of prognostic markers. Further understanding of the function of the identified KIRC hub genes could provide deep insights into the molecular mechanisms of KIRC.