Bioinformatics analysis of the circRNA–miRNA–mRNA network for non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 80% of all lung cancers, but its pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, it is valuable to explore the pathogenesis of NSCLC to improve diagnosis and identify novel treatment biomarkers. METHODS: Circular (circ)RNA, micro (mi)RNA, and gene expression datasets of NSCLC were analyzed to identify those that were differentially expressed between tumor and healthy tissues. Common genes were found and pathway enrichment analyses were performed. Survival analysis was used to identify hub genes, and their level of methylation and association with immune cell infiltration were analyzed. Finally, an NSCLC circRNA–miRNA–mRNA network was constructed. RESULTS: Eight miRNAs and 211 common genes were identified. Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses revealed that cell projection morphogenesis, blood vessel morphogenesis, muscle cell proliferation, and synapse organization were enriched. Ten hub genes were found, of which the expression of DTL and RRM2 was significantly related to NSCLC patient prognosis. Significant methylation changes and immune cell infiltration correlations with DTL and RRM2 were also detected. CONCLUSIONS: hsa_circ_0001947/hsa-miR-637/RRM2 and hsa_circ_0072305/hsa-miR-127-5p/DTL networks were constructed, and identified molecules may be involved in the occurrence and development of NSCLC.