Bioinformatics Analysis Reveals CDK1 and DLGAP5 as Key Modulators of Tumor Immune Cell Infiltration in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a prevalent and aggressive form of cancer, poses significant challenges due to its limited therapeutic options. This study aims to leverage multi-omics data from liver cancer to identify potential therapeutic targets for HCC.

Methods: We employed an integrative approach by analyzing various omics datasets related to liver cancer. Through comprehensive data mining and analysis, we identified key genes that are significantly associated with HCC. To gain insights into their biological roles and underlying mechanisms, we constructed gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway networks. Specifically, we focused on genes that exhibited high expression levels in HCC and were correlated with poor patient prognosis. Among these, CDK1 and DLGAP5 emerged as promising candidates and were further investigated for their potential involvement in tumor immune cell infiltration and HCC progression.

Results: Our analysis revealed that CDK1 and DLGAP5 are highly expressed in HCC tissues compared to normal liver tissues, and their elevated expression is associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes. Furthermore, through GO and KEGG pathway analyses, we found that these genes are implicated in critical biological processes and signaling pathways relevant to HCC pathogenesis. Notably, CDK1 and DLGAP5 were shown to be associated with tumor immune cell infiltration, suggesting their potential role in modulating the tumor microenvironment and promoting HCC progression.

Discussion: These findings provide valuable insights into the development of novel therapeutic approaches for HCC.