Erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 interaction with growth factor receptor bound protein 7 acts as a molecular switch to activate non-small cell lung cancer: An in silico prediction

Background: The progression and metastasis of non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are considered a very complex process as it involves aberrations of multiple genes and cellular pathways. Genes which are differentially expressed in NSCLC have multi interactions with other genes, which can promote the carcinogenesis. To improve diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC, it is vitally important to study these interactions and understand their roles in the molecular mechanism of NSCLC. As the need to find more potential targets for NSCLC is very paramount we have predicted very important interactions for NSCLC. Methods: In our study, some NSCLC specific genes were differentially identified from microarray datasets and text mining of SCLC and NSCLC abstracts. The expression of these genes has been seen in 8 different cancer types and NSCLC stages. A network of genes specific to NSCLC has been identified and interactions of these NSCLC specific genes have been studied. Results: We found two network modules joined through erb b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (ERBB2) in NSCLC i.e. network of genes growth factor receptor bound protein 7 (GRB7), StAR related lipid transfer domain containing 3, post GPI attachment to proteins 3 and migration and invasion enhancer 1 ERBB2 interacting with GRB7 and PAK1 using GIANT. In normal lungs, ERBB2 is strongly interacting with PAK1 and in NSCLC it has strong interaction with GRB7. Conclusion: We have found that ERBB2 and GRB7 interaction is a transforming connection between normal lung and NSCLC.