%0 Journal Article
%T Gene regulation is governed by a core network in hepatocellular carcinoma
%A Zuguang Gu
%A Chenyu Zhang
%A Jin Wang
%J BMC Systems Biology
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1752-0509-6-32
%X In this study, we aimed to identify the most important gene regulations that are dysfunctional in HCC generation. Our method for constructing gene regulatory network is based on predicted target interactions, experimentally-supported interactions, and co-expression model. Regulators in the network included both transcription factors and microRNAs to provide a complete view of gene regulation. Analysis of gene regulatory network revealed that gene regulation in HCC is highly modular, in which different sets of regulators take charge of specific biological processes. We found that microRNAs mainly control biological functions related to mitochondria and oxidative reduction, while transcription factors control immune responses, extracellular activity and the cell cycle. On the higher level of gene regulation, there exists a core network that organizes regulations between different modules and maintains the robustness of the whole network. There is direct experimental evidence for most of the regulators in the core gene regulatory network relating to HCC. We infer it is the central controller of gene regulation. Finally, we explored the influence of the core gene regulatory network on biological pathways.Our analysis provides insights into the mechanism of transcriptional and post-transcriptional control in HCC. In particular, we highlight the importance of the core gene regulatory network; we propose that it is highly related to HCC and we believe further experimental validation is worthwhile.Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the major histological subtype of liver cancer, and is among the most lethal cancers worldwide. The high cancer rates are especially found in the East, South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa [1]. Infection with hepatitis B (HBV) or C (HCV) viruses was found to be the main cause of the development of HCC in developing countries [1,2]. However, the current knowledge regarding the mechanisms of molecule interactions that lead to the disease pathogene
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1752-0509/6/32