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Pediatric adrenocortical carcinoma and adrenocortical adenoma are two rare diseases affecting children. Molecular analyses were performed to identify commonalities in gene expression between the diseases. Differentially expressed genes were identified for the pediatric adrenocortical adenoma and carcinoma tissues, as compared with normal tissues, using the expression dataset. Protein‑protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed for adenoma and carcinoma disease models, and common modules among the diseases were identified. A total of two common modules with 14 nodes and 20 nodes were revealed among the adenoma and carcinoma networks, respectively. Genes of the common modules were also identified to be the common hub genes of the disease models. Enrichment of the genes of the common modules suggested associations with steroid biosynthesis, the proteasome, cell cycle and metabolic pathways. Modularity, topological and functional analysis of the PPI networks revealed common modules among pediatric adenoma and carcinoma disease models, which provided insight into the underlying disease mechanisms and suggesting prospective targets for future study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pediatric adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy with a poor outcome. Molecular mechanisms of pediatric ACC oncogenesis and advancement are not well understood. Accurate and timely diagnosis of the disease requires identification of new markers for pediatric ACC. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from the gene expression profile of pediatric ACC and obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus. Gene Ontology functional and pathway enrichment analysis was implemented to recognize the functions of DEGs. A protein- protein interaction (PPI) and gene-gene functional interaction (GGI) network of DEGs was constructed. Hub gene detection and enrichment analysis of functional modules were performed. Furthermore, a gene regulatory network incorporating DEGs-microRNAs-transcription factors was constructed and analyzed. A total of 431 DEGs including 228 upregulated and 203 downregulated DEGs were screened. These genes were largely involved in cell cycle, steroid biosynthesis, and p53 signaling pathways. Upregulated genes, CDK1, CCNB1, CDC20, and BUB1B, were identified as the common hubs of PPI and GGI networks. All the four common hub genes were also part of modules of the PPI network. Moreover, all the four genes were also present in the largest module of GGI network. A gene regulatory network consisting of 82 microRNAs and 100 transcription factors was also constructed. CDK1, CCNB1, CDC20, and BUB1B may serve as potential biomarker of pediatric ACC and as potential targets for therapeutic approach, although experimental studies are required to authenticate our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]