Identification of novel ferroptosis‑associated prognostic genes in cervical cancer using bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation

Cervical cancer (CC) is a common malignant tumor among women worldwide.However, the relationship between CC and ferroptosis remains to be elucidated.The present study screened differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CC from The Cancer Genome Atlas database and identified DEGs associated with ferroptosis using the FerrDb database.A total of 2,563 DEGs were upregulated and 2,120 DEGs were downregulated which were more notably enriched in the early region 2 binding factor targets and G 2 M checkpoint.By crossing ferroptosis-driver, ferroptosis-marker and ferroptosis-suppressor genes and DEGs, 80 ferroptosis-associated prognostic genes were identified.In total, 24 potential targeted drugs targeting key genes were predicted, providing a possible basis to predict the prognosis and treatment of CC.The expression levels of stearoyl-CoA desaturase, transferrin receptor (TFRC) and carbonic anhydrase 9 were experimentally validated by PCR, which was consistent with the present bioinformatics analysis.Furthermore, knocking down TFRC inhibited cell proliferation and migration in CC cells in vitro.In conclusion, the present study identified key genes associated with ferroptosis in CC and further research is warranted to explore their underlying mechanisms and potentially become effective clinical prognostic biomarkers in the future.