title: Molecular signature of cancer at gene level or pathway level? Case studies of colorectal cancer and prostate cancer microarray data.
abstract: With recent advances in microarray technology, there has been a flourish in genome-scale identification of molecular signatures for cancer. However, the differentially expressed genes obtained by different laboratories are highly divergent. The present discrepancy at gene level indicates a need for a novel strategy to obtain more robust signatures for cancer. In this paper we hypothesize that (1) the expression signatures of different cancer microarray datasets are more similar at pathway level than at gene level; (2) the comparability of the cancer molecular mechanisms of different individuals is related to their genetic similarities. In support of the hypotheses, we summarized theoretical and experimental evidences, and conducted case studies on colorectal and prostate cancer microarray datasets. Based on the above assumption, we propose that reliable cancer signatures should be investigated in the context of biological pathways, within a cohort of genetically homogeneous population. It is hoped that the hypotheses can guide future research in cancer mechanism and signature discovery.
authors: Center for Systems Biology, Soochow University, Jiangsu, Suzhou 215006, China.
authors: Jiajia
authors: J
authors: Chen
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Wang
authors: Bairong
authors: B
authors: Shen
authors: Daqing
authors: D
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D008957:Models, Genetic; D015233:Models, Statistical; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary
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