Screening of key genes for diagnosis and prognosis of gastric cancer and verification based on the GEO database

ZHONG Wangji; CHU Mingliang; LIU Jiemin

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1002-7386.2025.09.001

Abstract：Objective To screen biomarkers associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of gastric cancer by bioinformatic methods.Methods The human gastric cancer datasets GSE103236 and GSE79973 were obtained from the gene expression omnibus(GEO)database,and the online tools GEO2R and Xiantao online data platform were used to draw a Venn diagram to screen differentially expressed genes(DEGs)overlapping the datasets.Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analyses were performed on the DEGs using the Bioinformatics online data analysis platform.Protein-protein interaction(PPI)networks were constructed by the STRING database,and visualized by the Cytoscape software with its packages to identify the top ten key genes.The Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis(GEPIA)database,Human Protein Atas(HPA)database,Kaplan-Meier plotter database and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource(TIMER)were used to further explore key genes and perform prognostic analyses.Results There were 161 overlapping DEGs in the two datasets of GSE103236 and GSE79973,and they were mainly enriched in the pathways of protein digestion and absorption,tissue remodeling,and extracellular matrix receptor interaction.After depicting a PPI network,10 key genes were obtained.Further analysis using GEPIA database and Kaplan-Meier plotter database,9 key genes were identified to be related to the prognosis of gastric cancer,including the COL1A1,THBS2,COL5A2,BGN,LOX,APOE,TIMP1,SPARC,and COL10A1.All of them were overexpressed in gastric cancer and associated with poor prognosis.The analysis in the TIMER database showed that the vast majority of the key genes were related to immune infiltration.Conclusion COL1A1,THBS2,COL5A2,BGN,LOX,APOE,TIMP1,SPARC,and COL10A1 may be the key genes associated with gastric cancer progression,serving as potential diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for gastric cancer.