Identification of genes that correlate clear cell renal cell carcinoma and obesity and exhibit potential prognostic value

BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common urologic malignancy. Although the relationship between clear cell RCC (ccRCC) and obesity has been well-established by several large-scale retrospective studies, the molecular mechanisms and genetic characteristics behind this correlation remains unclear. In the current study, several bioinformatics tools were used to identify the key genes in ccRCC related to obesity. METHODS: Microarray data comparing ccRCC with normal renal tissues in patients with and without obesity were downloaded from the GEO database for screening of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The DEGs were verified with expression level and survival analysis using several online bioinformatics tools. RESULTS: In the current study, the differential expression of five genes correlated with both ccRCC and obesity; IGHA1 and IGKC as oncogenes, and MAOA, MUC20 and TRPM3 as tumor suppressor genes. These genes were verified by comparing the relationship between the expression levels and survival outcomes from open-source data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the five genes differentially expressed in ccRCC and obesity are related to disease progression and prognosis, and therefore could provide prognostic value for patients with ccRCC.