Comprehensive Bioinformatics Evaluation of CTNNB1 as a Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Prognostic Biomarker in Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma

© 2024 by the Authors. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

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Abstract

Liver Hepatocellular Cancer (LIHC) is a fatal disease, that keeps rigorous to therapeutic approach. This study explores the expression and promoter methylation of CTNNB1 and survival analysis, to extricate its role in LIHC progression, prognosis, and therapeutic approaches. Employing UALCAN, the study examined upregulation in CTNNB1 expression in LIHC as compared to normal samples explained its role in LIHC progression. Further analysis, stratified by patient’s age, gender, race, and pathological stages, revealed upregulation across all variables. Analysis of promoter methylation level of CTNNB1 in LIHC revealed hypomethylation, acknowledging upregulation of expression. Moreover, survival analysis of CTNNB1 using a KM plotter demonstrated its prognostic significance, as CTNNB1 overexpression results in the worst overall survival (OS) and vice versa. Validation via GEPIA2 affirmed elevated expression level of CTNNB1 in LIHC, further establishing its correlation with unfavorable survival outcomes. Furthermore, pathway enrichment analysis utilizing the STRING and DAVID tool identified association with genes implicated in essential signaling processes such as the Wnt signaling pathway revealing its role in LIHC progression. Subsequently, Genetic mutation analysis performed using cBioPortal demonstrated a 10% mutation of CTNNB1 in LIHC, indicating that alteration in the gene has a critical role in the development of LIHC. In conclusion, this comprehensive analysis highlights the significance of CTNNB1 upregulation in LIHC progression and its capability as a prognostic biomarker, offering valuable insight for developing targeted therapeutic strategies.

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