Network of microRNA, transcription factors, target genes and host genes in human mesothelioma

Significant progress has been made into the elucidation of the etiology of mesothelioma at the level of the genes and miRNA. Nevertheless, researchers in this field remain unable to systematically construct a network that demonstrates the specific relationships between genes, miRNA and transcription factors (TFs). TFs are key regulatory elements that control gene expression. In the present study, according to the transcriptional regulatory rule, three regulatory networks were constructed using experimentally validated elements to explore the pathogenesis of mesothelioma. We focused on the regulatory relationship between the miRNA and its host gene, the miRNA and its target gene, and the miRNA and TFs. Expressed, related and global networks were constructed, and the similarities and differences between them were analyzed. Notably, the differentially expressed network used in the present study, which was based on experimentally validated data, contained numerous incorrect expression signal pathways for the pathogenesis of mesothelioma. In theory, if these errors are corrected, this cancer may be prevented or cured. Subsequent analysis of the differentially expressed nodes and pathways may help to explain the pathogenesis of mesothelioma. Notably, some of these exhibited a self-adaption relationship, which was detected by listing the upstream and downstream elements in a table with differentially expressed genes and miRNA. The findings of the present study demonstrated detailed transcriptional regulation, which may serve as a reference to aid further elucidation of the pathogenesis of mesothelioma.