Abstract

TFF1, one member of the trefoil factor family (TFFs), is an antiproteinolytic peptide. Abnormal TFF1 expression is associated with carcinogenesis. In order to investigate the expression of TFF1 in esophageal carcinoma and its potential gene regulatory network. We used sequencing data from the Cancer Genome Atlas database and Gene Expression Omnibus, analyzed TFF1 expression and gene regulation networks in esophageal carcinoma (ESCA). TFF1 expression profiling was analyzed using Oncomine TM, while TFF1 mutation and related functional networks were identified using cBioPortal. Linked Omics was used to identify differential gene expression with TFF1 and to analyze Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. We found that TFF1 is overexpressed in ESCA, and deletion is the most common TFF1 mutation type in ESCA, and TFF1 gene mutation may also significantly affect the prognosis of ESCA patients. Functional network analysis showed that TFF1 may play a role in ESCA by participating in NF-κB signaling pathway and Hippo signaling pathway. Our results demonstrate that data mining efficiently reveals information about TFF1 expression and potential regulatory networks in ESCA, laying a foundation for further study of the role of TFF1 in carcinogenesis.

Keywords: Trefoil factor family; Esophageal carcinoma; Bioinformatics