Identifying the alterations in ion channels, lipid metabolism and epithelial mesenchymal transition in ESCC using transcriptomic data

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is among the most prominent subtype of esophageal cancer worldwide with a significant increase in the incidence rate. Ion channels and their neighboring molecules including lipids are known to contribute in tumor growth and progression. The cross talks between the ion channels and lipid metabolism related genes may contribute to epithelial mesenchymal transition leading to metastatic progression. In this study, RNA-Seq data of patients with ESCC were analysed to identify the alterations in ion channels, lipid metabolism related and EMT-related genes. Co-expression networks and protein-protein interaction networks were constructed to identify the interactions between the altered set of proteins. Further, pathway map was generated to depict the deregulated signaling pathways in ESCC. Additionally, the study could also statistically determine the prognostic significance of the potential ion channels and the drugs interacting with them were identified. The study emphasizes on the importance of understanding the interactions between ion channels, lipid metabolism related and EMT-related genes to come up with better strategies to treat patients with ESCC.