Identification of cancer-related genes and motifs in the human gene regulatory network

The authors investigated the regulatory network motifs and corresponding motif positions of cancer-related genes. First, they mapped disease-related genes to a transcription factor regulatory network. Next, they calculated statistically significant motifs and subsequently identified positions within these motifs that were enriched in cancer-related genes. Potential mechanisms of these motifs and positions are discussed. These results could be used to identify other disease- and cancer-related genes and could also suggest mechanisms for how these genes relate to co-occurring diseases.