Fig. 3

miRNA-mRNA gene network and canonical pathways identified by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. (a) The miRNA-mRNA gene network from experimentally observed miRNA–mRNA interactions of 3-miRNAs and 16 hub genes. Each network displays the genes/gene products as nodes (different shapes representing the functional classes of gene products) and the biological relationships between the nodes as lines. Full lines represent direct interactions and broken lines, indirect interactions. The 3 miRNAs are represented as yellow nodes. Molecules shown in red represent the most centrally located nodes. Orange-colored nodes depict the key molecules responsible for deregulating the major signaling pathways in tumorigenesis. (b) Differentially expressed canonical pathways targeted by 16 hub genes. Higher -log Benjamini-Hochberg (B-H) p-value corresponds to the more significant pathway. Z score is the activation score for a pathway. The Z score reflects the activation (positive-orange colour) or inhibition (negative-blue colour) of a pathway due to the changes in the expression of genes involved in those pathways or functions. Z-score was not reported for EMT regulation pathway in the IPA libraries (c) Schematic representation of putative signalling pathways regulated by the identified miRNA-mRNA networks responsible for OSCC progression. The processes in green boxes are associated with the hallmarks of cancer