Identification of potential therapeutic targets using breast cancer stroma expression profiling

Background: To uncover the potential molecular mechanisms of cytokine-relevant genes in breast cancer stroma and identify potential targets for breast cancer treatment. Methods: The differentially expressed ( DE ) cytokine genes in breast cancer stroma were assessed using microarray data. The pathway and functional enrichment analyses were performed. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and PPI subnetworks were constructed and the subnetwork was analyzed by Cytoscape software. Results: One hundred and three DE cytokine genes (55 up-regulated and 48 down-regulated) were identified. Functional enrichment and pathway analysis showed that inflammation, blood vessel growth, leuko-monocyte differentiation, extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover and remodeling pathways were involved. The PPI network with 85 nodes and 236 interactions was constructed and three subnetworks were also identified. Genes encoding for CXCL12, TLR2, ITGAM, and SOCS3 were extracted as the hub genes. Conclusions: These dysregulated genes of tumor stroma may provide important clues for in-depth study of breast cancer therapeutic strategies.

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