{"title":"Autophagy-related risk signature based on CDNK2A to facilitate survival prediction of patients with endometrial cancer","authors":"Chaomin Yue, Baohua Lin, Xiang Sun, Xindi Xu, Chufan Zhou, Jiaying Fan","doi":"10.1002/jgm.3648","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Background</h3>\n \n <p>Autophagy plays an important role in immunity and inflammation. The present study aimed to explore the prognostic significance of autophagy-related genes (ARGs) in endometrial cancer (EC) using bioinformatics.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>The list of ARGs was obtained from the Human Autophagy Database. The differentially expressed ARGs (DEARGs) between the EC and normal endometrial tissue samples were screened from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Cox regression analysis was performed on the DEARGs to screen the prognostic ARGs and construct risk signatures for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The hub ARGs were identified from a protein–protein interaction network, and <i>CDKN2A</i> was obtained from the intersection of prognostic ARGs and hub ARGs. The association of <i>CDKN2A</i> expression with clinical characteristics and immune infiltration were analyzed. Finally, the role of <i>CDKN2A</i> in autophagy was confirmed in EC cell lines.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p><i>CDKN2A, PTK6</i> and <i>DLC1</i> were used to establish risk signatures for predicting the survival of EC patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that the risk signatures can accurately predict both OS and PFS. <i>CDKN2A</i> was the only hub prognostic ARG, and showed significant association with the age, survival status, grade, histological type, body mass index and FIGO (i.e. International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stage (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Furthermore, <i>CDKN2A</i> expression was also correlated with the infiltration of immune cells, indicating that <i>CDKN2A</i> might play a critical role in regulating the immune microenvironment and immune responses in EC. In addition, silencing of <i>CDKN2A</i> gene promoted autophagy in the HEC-1A cell line and upregulated the expression levels of autophagy-related proteins.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p><i>CDKN2A</i> is a prognostic factor and therapeutic target in EC, and is likely associated with the tumor immune landscape and autophagy.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":56122,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Gene Medicine","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Gene Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jgm.3648","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Autophagy plays an important role in immunity and inflammation. The present study aimed to explore the prognostic significance of autophagy-related genes (ARGs) in endometrial cancer (EC) using bioinformatics.
Methods
The list of ARGs was obtained from the Human Autophagy Database. The differentially expressed ARGs (DEARGs) between the EC and normal endometrial tissue samples were screened from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Cox regression analysis was performed on the DEARGs to screen the prognostic ARGs and construct risk signatures for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The hub ARGs were identified from a protein–protein interaction network, and CDKN2A was obtained from the intersection of prognostic ARGs and hub ARGs. The association of CDKN2A expression with clinical characteristics and immune infiltration were analyzed. Finally, the role of CDKN2A in autophagy was confirmed in EC cell lines.
Results
CDKN2A, PTK6 and DLC1 were used to establish risk signatures for predicting the survival of EC patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that the risk signatures can accurately predict both OS and PFS. CDKN2A was the only hub prognostic ARG, and showed significant association with the age, survival status, grade, histological type, body mass index and FIGO (i.e. International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stage (p < 0.05). Furthermore, CDKN2A expression was also correlated with the infiltration of immune cells, indicating that CDKN2A might play a critical role in regulating the immune microenvironment and immune responses in EC. In addition, silencing of CDKN2A gene promoted autophagy in the HEC-1A cell line and upregulated the expression levels of autophagy-related proteins.
Conclusions
CDKN2A is a prognostic factor and therapeutic target in EC, and is likely associated with the tumor immune landscape and autophagy.
期刊介绍:
The aims and scope of The Journal of Gene Medicine include cutting-edge science of gene transfer and its applications in gene and cell therapy, genome editing with precision nucleases, epigenetic modifications of host genome by small molecules, siRNA, microRNA and other noncoding RNAs as therapeutic gene-modulating agents or targets, biomarkers for precision medicine, and gene-based prognostic/diagnostic studies.
Key areas of interest are the design of novel synthetic and viral vectors, novel therapeutic nucleic acids such as mRNA, modified microRNAs and siRNAs, antagomirs, aptamers, antisense and exon-skipping agents, refined genome editing tools using nucleic acid /protein combinations, physically or biologically targeted delivery and gene modulation, ex vivo or in vivo pharmacological studies including animal models, and human clinical trials.
Papers presenting research into the mechanisms underlying transfer and action of gene medicines, the application of the new technologies for stem cell modification or nucleic acid based vaccines, the identification of new genetic or epigenetic variations as biomarkers to direct precision medicine, and the preclinical/clinical development of gene/expression signatures indicative of diagnosis or predictive of prognosis are also encouraged.