Anomalies in network bridges involved in bile Acid metabolism predict outcomes of colorectal cancer patients

PLoS One. 2014 Sep 26;9(9):e107925. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0107925. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Biomarkers prognostic for colorectal cancer (CRC) would be highly desirable in clinical practice. Proteins that regulate bile acid (BA) homeostasis, by linking metabolic sensors and metabolic enzymes, also called bridge proteins, may be reliable prognostic biomarkers for CRC. Based on a devised metric, "bridgeness," we identified bridge proteins involved in the regulation of BA homeostasis and identified their prognostic potentials. The expression patterns of these bridge proteins could distinguish between normal and diseased tissues, suggesting that these proteins are associated with CRC pathogenesis. Using a supervised classification system, we found that these bridge proteins were reproducibly prognostic, with high prognostic ability compared to other known markers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bile Acids and Salts / metabolism*
  • Biomarkers, Tumor*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / mortality
  • Humans
  • Patient Outcome Assessment
  • Prognosis
  • Protein Interaction Mapping
  • Proteomics
  • Reproducibility of Results

Substances

  • Bile Acids and Salts
  • Biomarkers, Tumor