Identification of transcriptional landscapes and functions of the inhibition of ARHGEF2 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Abstract

The RHO guanine exchange factor ARHGEF2 has exchange activity toward RHOA, which is essential for the development of cancers such as liver cancer. However, the potential functions and mechanisms of ARHGEF2 in the progression of liver cancer are largely unknown. In this study, we identified the transcriptional landscapes of hepatocellular carcinoma cells treated with ARHGEF2 shRNAs. The gene enrichment assays such as KEGG and GO were used to further analyze the potential signaling pathways. Moreover, the PPI network and Reactome map were used to further identify the biological processes. The results showed that Alzheimers disease disease (AD) and Cushing syndrome (CS) are the major signaling pathways involved in the ARHGEF2-shRNAs treated hepatocellular carcinoma cells. We identified the top ten interactive genes including ICAM1, APOE, LDLR, NAT10, HSPA1A, EDN1, CACNA1C, KCNMA1, SNAI1, and ELN. Our study may provide novel mechanisms for the treatment of liver cancer by inhibiting ARHGEF2.