Integrated analysis of competing endogenous RNA in esophageal carcinoma.

Background The Competing endogenous RNA (CeRNA) network plays important roles in the development and progression of multiple human cancers. Increasing attention has been paid to CeRNA in esophageal carcinoma (ESCA). Methods We explored The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and then analyzed the RNAs of 142 samples to obtain long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), micro RNAs (miRNAs), and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) with different expression trends alongside the progress of ESCA. A series test of cluster (STC) analysis was carried out to identify a set of unique model expression tendencies. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were used to validate the function of key genes that were obtained from the STC analysis. Results Through our analysis, 272 lncRNAs, 87 miRNAs, and 692 mRNAs showed upward expression or downward expression trends, and these molecules were tightly involved in cell cycle, pathways in cancer, metabolic processes, and protein phosphorylation, among others. Ultimately, we constructed a CeRNA network containing a total of 71 lncRNAs, 56 miRNAs, and 125 mRNAs. The overall survival (OS) was analyzed using univariate Cox regression analysis to clarify the relationship between these key molecules from the CeRNA network and the prognosis of ESCA patients. Through survival analysis, we finally screened out two lncRNAs (DLEU2, RP11-890B15.3), three miRNAs (miR-26b-3p, miR-92a-3p, miR-324-5p), and one mRNA (SIK2) as crucial prognostic factors for ESCA. Conclusions The novel CeRNA network that we constructed will provide new novel prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for patients with ESCA.