PhD Scientific Days 2021

MO_I_L: Molecular Sciences I. Lectures

Modular Reorganization of Signaling Networks during the Development of Cancer

Text of the abstract

Network science is an emerging tool in systems biology and oncology, providing novel, system-level insight into the development of cancer. Studying signaling networks in the process of oncogenesis enlight the adaptive mechanisms taking part in the cancerous transformation of healthy cells. For this purpose, colon cancer proved to be an excellent candidate as the preliminary phase, and adenoma has a long evolution time. Transcriptomic data have been collected from normal colon, colon adenoma, and colon cancer samples for calculating link (i.e., network edge) weights as approximative proxies for protein abundances, and link weights were included in the Human Cancer Signaling Network. We found that the adenoma phase clearly differs from the normal and cancer states in terms of a more scattered link weight distribution and enlarged network diameter. Modular analysis shows the rearrangement of the apoptosis- and the cell-cycle-related modules, whose pathway enrichment analysis supports the relevance of targeted therapy. Our work enriches the system-wide assessment of cancer development, showing specific changes for the adenoma state.

University and Doctoral School

Semmelweis University, Doctoral School of Molecular Medicine