Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41070226›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in genetics2025

Identifying metabolism-related genes in liver cancer through weighted gene co-expression network analysis and machine learning.

Taorui Wang, Zijun Lai, Shengjun Tang, Lehang Lin, Mingjiao Zhang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in genetics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Taorui WangFaculty of Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, China.
Zijun LaiGenetic Testing Center, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Shengjun TangGenetic Testing Center, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Lehang LinGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Mingjiao ZhangDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: As a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, liver cancer was associated with metabolic dysregulation. We aimed to identify metabolism-related prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Methods: Transcriptomic data from TCGA were analyzed using EdgeR to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). WGCNA was applied to unveil the metabolism-related genes in liver cancer. Machine learning algorithms (RF, SVM, LASSO) refined marker genes. GSEA and ssGSEA were conducted to identify pathway associations and immune interactions of marker genes. DGIdb database predicted candidate therapeutics targeting these biomarkers. The independent queue (GSE54236) was verified as an external dataset. RT-PCR validated gene expression in clinical samples. Results: A total of 234 metabolism-related genes were identified in liver cancer. Through undergoing machine learning by RF, SVM, and LASSO algorithms, seven marker genes (ACADS, ALDH8A1, COX4I2, CYP2C8, DBH, NDST3, and PLA2G6) were obtained. Except for PLA2G6, the other genes were correlated with the survival of patients with liver cancer and immune cells infiltration. Additionally, ACADS, ALDH8A1, CYP2C8, DBH, and NDST3 were downregulated, and COX4I2 was upregulated in dataset of GSE54236, which were consist with those in TCGA database. However, RT-PCR validation in 10 paired clinical samples confirmed significant downregulation of ACADS, ALDH8A1, COX4I2, CYP2C8, DBH, and NDST3 in tumor tissues (all P < 0.05). Immune infiltration analysis revealed these genes might influence immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. And the candidate drugs were unveiled, including PAZOPANIB, SUMATRIPTAN, ETOPOSIDE, etc. Conclusion: The metabolism-related biomarkers ACADS, ALDH8A1, COX4I2, CYP2C8, DBH, and NDST3 demonstrated significant potential for predicting liver cancer prognosis and may serve as candidate therapeutic targets.

Indexed as

immune cellsliver cancermachine learningmetabolismtherapy

Identifiers

PMID41070226
PMCPMC12504094

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.