Pathway enrichment results
The network analysis highlighted a total of 14 genes with a relevant
node degree score. Figure 3 shows the “seedGeneNetwork” with the key
interactions among the 14 seed genes and other genes involved in several
canonical pathway.
The seed genes enriching multiple pathways highlighted the relationships
between seed genes and the affected biological functions involved in HCC
and sorafenib. Among all genes, ADH1A and CYP26A1 , along
with VEGF-A and VEGF-C , showed a common involvement in the
signal transduction pathways, which are reported as dysregulated in HCC,
leading to uncontrolled cell division and
metastasis.34
Table 3 reports the top 21 degree-ranked seed genes among which, with a
high degree value, are included 8/12 genes identified in the study (in
bold). Analyzing Table 4, it is worth noting that a seed gene’s degree
is higher than the added genes and refers to the centrality of a node in
the network. The higher centrality of the degree reveals the crucial
roles of genes in the network. Figure 4 shows the top ten degree-ranked
seed genes computed using CytoHubba.