u HNdb: an integrated database of gene and protein information on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

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Henrique, Tiago ; Freitas da Silveira, Nelson Jose ; Cunha Volpato, Arthur Henrique ; Mioto, Mayra Mataruco ; Buzzo Stefanini, Ana Carolina ; Fares, Adil Bachir ; da Silva Castro Andrade, Joao Gustavo ; Masson, Carolina ; Mendoza Lopez, Rossana Veronica ; Nunes, Fabio Daumas ; Kowalski, Luis Paulo ; Severino, Patricia ; Tajara, Eloiza Helena

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: DATABASE-THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL DATABASES AND CURATION; v. N/A, p. 11-pg., 2016-03-24.

Abstract

The total amount of scientific literature has grown rapidly in recent years. Specifically, there are several million citations in the field of cancer. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to manually retrieve relevant information on the mechanisms that govern tumor behavior or the neoplastic process. Furthermore, cancer is a complex disease or, more accurately, a set of diseases. The heterogeneity that permeates many tumors is particularly evident in head and neck (HN) cancer, one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. In this study, we present HNdb, a free database that aims to provide a unified and comprehensive resource of information on genes and proteins involved in HN squamous cell carcinoma, covering data on genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, literature citations and also cross-references of external databases. Different literature searches of MEDLINE abstracts were performed using specific Medical Subject Headings (MeSH terms) for oral, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal and laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas. A curated gene-to-publication assignment yielded a total of 1370 genes related to HN cancer. The diversity of results allowed identifying novel and mostly unexplored gene associations, revealing, for example, that processes linked to response to steroid hormone stimulus are significantly enriched in genes related to HN carcinomas. Thus, our database expands the possibilities for gene networks investigation, providing potential hypothesis to be tested. Database URL: http://www.gencapo.famerp.br/hndb (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/51168-0 - Environmental, clinical, histopathological and molecular factors associated with development and prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas
• Grantee: Eloiza Helena Tajara da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants