Reconstruction of canine diffuse large B-cell lymphoma gene regulatory network: detection of functional modules and hub genes.

Lymphoma is one of the most common malignancies in dogs. Canine lymphoma is similar to human non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) with shared clinical presentation and histopathological features. This study reports the construction of a comprehensive gene regulatory network (GRN) for canine diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common type of canine lymphoma, and performs analysis for detection of major functional modules and hub genes (the most important genes in a GRN). The canine DLBCL GRN was reconstructed from gene expression data (NCBI GEO dataset: GSE30881) using the STRING and MiMI interaction databases. Reconstructed GRNs were then assessed, using various bioinformatics programmes, in order to analyze network topology and identify major pathways and hub genes. The resultant network from both interaction databases had a logically scale-free pattern. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed cell activation, cell cycle phase, immune effector process, immune system development, immune system process, integrin-mediated signalling pathway, intracellular protein kinase cascade, intracellular signal transduction, leucocyte activation and differentiation, lymphocyte activation and differentiation as major GO terms in the biological processes of the networks. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis showed E2F1, E2F4, PTEN, CDKN1A, PCNA, DKC1, MNAT1, NDUFB4, ATP5J, PRKDC, BRCA1, MYCN, RFC4 and POLA1 as the most important hub genes. The phosphatidyl inositol signalling system, P53 signalling pathway, Rac CycD pathway, G1/S checkpoint, chemokine signalling pathway and telomere maintenance were the main signalling pathways in which the protein products of the hub genes are involved.