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William J. Gradishar, MD, FACP, FASCO
William J. Gradishar, MD, FACP, FASCO
Posted: Thursday, July 25, 2024
Citing an increased risk of breast cancer among patients with major depressive disorder, a Chinese study has identified shared gene signatures that may play critical roles in the pathogenesis of both. Xie et al, of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China, and colleagues observed the differentially expressed genes G3BP1, MAF, NCEH1, and TMEM45A to be key pathologic hubs in both triple-negative breast cancer and major depressive disorder, and they advocated for future clinical trials to verify the therapeutic value of their findings. The results of the study were published in BMC Psychiatry.
The investigators analyzed the public GSE65194 and GSE98793 data sets and observed a total of 113 overlapping differentially expressed genes between triple-negative breast cancer and major depressive disorder. They then constructed a protein-protein interaction network and identified 35 key genes. Finally, G3BP1, MAF, NCEH1, and TMEM45A were identified as key hubs through weighted gene co-expression network analysis.
In addition, the researchers reported significant downregulation of G3BP1 and MAF among patients with triple-negative breast cancer and major depressive disorder and significant upregulation of NCEH1 and TMEM45A. They validated their findings using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and the independent TCGA and GSE76826 data sets.
“Xenobiotic metabolism, gluconokinase, matrix metalloproteinase, prolactin and MAPK signaling pathways, and bile secretion may underlie the development of these two diseases,” concluded the investigators. “These findings provide novel insights for future research on biomarkers and therapeutic targets of both diseases.”
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
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