Abstract
To identify biologically relevant genes associated with the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC), genome wide expression profiles of 17 pairs of CRC tumor and adjacent tissues, previously published in a DNA microarray study, were analyzed. Cytoscape, String tools and DAVID tools were used to investigate the biological pathways encoded by the genes identified as being either upregulated or downregulated in CRC, to determine protein‑protein interactions and to identify potential hub genes associated with CRC. As a result, a total of 3,264 genes were identified as being differentially expressed in CRC and adjacent tissues, including 1,594 downregulated and 1,670 upregulated genes. Furthermore, 306 genes were revealed to be clustered in a complex interaction network, and the top 20 hub genes in this network were determined by application of the Matthews Correlation Coefficient algorithm. In addition, the patterns of the expression levels of the 20 hub genes were investigated using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that four of the 20 hub genes encoded small subunit processome components (UTP3 small subunit processome component; UTP14 small subunit processome component; UTP 18 small subunit processome component; and UTP20 small subunit processome component) and a further four encoded WD repeat domains (WD repeat‑containing protein 3, WD repeat domain 12, WD repeat‑containing protein 43 and WD repeat‑containing protein 75). In conclusion, the present DNA microarray study identified genes involved in the pathogenesis of CRC. Furthermore, it was revealed that hub genes identified from among the total identified upregulated and downregulated genes in CRC encoding subunit processome components and WD repeat domains may represent novel target molecules for future treatments of CRC.