Identification of G6PC As A Potential Prognostic Biomarker In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based On Bioinformatics Analysis

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high mortality and incidence rates around the world with limited therapeutic options, there is an urgent need for identification of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for early diagnosis and predicting patient survival with HCC. Methods: Several studies (GSE102083, GSE29722, GSE101685 and GSE112790) from the GEO database in HCC were screened and analyzed by GEO2R, Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were conducted with the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). The protein-protein interaction network (PPI) was plotted and the module analysis was performed using Search Tool for the Retrieval of Inter-acting Genes/Proteins database (STRING) and Cytoscape. The expression and survival of key genes were identified using UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier Plotter and ONCOMINE online databases, and the immune infiltration level of key genes was analyzed via TIMER database. Results: Eight key genes were finally screened out through several database analysis, and UALCAN was used to detect the expressions of CKS2 and G6PC, which were closely related to the survival of HCC patients. Further analysis on the differential expression of G6PC in multiple cancerous tumors and normal tissues revealed low expression in many solid tumors by Oncomine and TIMER. In addition, Kaplan-Meier plotter and UALCAN database analysis to access diseases prognosis suggested that low expression of G6PC was significantly associated with poor overall survival in HCC patients. Finally, TIMER database analysis showed a significant negative correlation between G6PC and infiltration levels of six kinds of immune cells. The somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) of G6PC were associated with B cells, CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, macrophages, dentritic cells and neutrophils. Conclusions: These bioinformatic data identified G6PC as a potential key gene in the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC.