TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS AND BIOINFORMATICS CHARACTERIZATION OF CANINE HEMANGIOSARCOMA: POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC TARGETS

Abstract

Angiosarcoma is a highly aggressive cancer with a generally poor prognosis. It originates from the cells responsible for blood vessel formation and can develop in various parts of the body, including the skin, breast, liver, spleen, and other soft tissues. Although it constitutes only a small fraction of all diagnosed cancers, angiosarcoma has proven to be challenging regarding diagnosis and treatment options. This study aimed to enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying angiosarcoma at the transcriptomic level. Through the utilization of bioinformatics techniques, we successfully identified a cluster of differentially expressed genes that potentially play a role in the development and progression of angiosarcoma. The genes ALB, TNNT2, VIM, and CA9 are particularly noteworthy, which emerge as potential biomarkers specifically associated with spleen, heart, and liver angiosarcoma.  These identified biomarkers hold significant potential for their application in diagnosing and monitoring angiosarcoma, facilitating improved clinical management and targeted interventions. The identification of these biomarkers enhances our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in angiosarcoma and provides potential targets for therapeutic interventions.   In conclusion, bioinformatics methods offer a valuable approach to investigating the underlying mechanisms of angiosarcoma. The identification of molecular targets in this study offers potential advancements in diagnosing and treating angiosarcoma. Analiza transkriptoma in bioinformacijska karakterizacija hemangiosarkoma pri psih: potencialne terapevtske tarče Izvleček: Pasji hemangiosarkom (HSA) je agresiven rak s slabo prognozo. Nastane v celicah, ki obdajajo krvne žile, in prizadene različne organe, vključno z vranico, srcem in jetri. Kljub redki pojavnosti predstavlja velike diagnostične in terapevtske izzive. Nekatere pasme, kot so zlati prinašalci, bokserji in nemški ovčarji, so dovzetnejše za hemangio­sarkom, kar kaže na možno genetsko podlago dovzetnosti za bolezen. Vendar pa natančni molekularni mehanizmi, ki določajo nagnjenost teh pasem k HSA, še niso povsem pojasnjeni. Namen te študije je bil izboljšati naše razumevanje molekularnih mehanizmov za določanje hemangiosarkoma pri psih, in sicer s ponovno analizo javno dostopnih podat­kov o sekvenciranju RNA z uporabo bioinformacijskih tehnik pri psih. Naši rezultati kažejo, da bi se geni ALB, TNNT2, VIM in CA9 lahko uporabili kot novi biomarkerji za HSA vranice, srca in jeter pri pasmi zlati prinašalec. Na podlagi naših ugotovitev predlagamo, da bi STAT3, TP53, PPARG, ATF3, CCND1 ter miR-21-5p, miR-92a-3p in miR-155-5p služili kot biomarkerji za jetrni HSA pri zlatih prinašalcih. Poleg tega naša analiza nabora podatkov HSA vranice šestih različnih pasem psov razkriva izražanje pasemsko značilnih genov v HSA vranice psov. Identifikacija teh biomarkerjev krepi naše razumevanje molekularnih mehanizmov angiosarkoma (AS) in predlaga potencialne tarče za zdravljenje. Ključne besede: angiosarkom; vranica; srce; jetra; primerjalna onkologija; transkriptomsko profiliranje