Abstract
BackgroundLung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), as the most common histological subtype of lung cancer, is a high-grade malignancy and a leading cause of cancer-related death globally. Identification of biomarkers with prognostic value is of great significance for the diagnosis and treatment of LUAD. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C (HNRNPC) is an RNA-binding protein “reader” of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation, and is related to the progression of various cancers; however, its role in LUAD is unclear. The aims of this study aims were to study the expression and prognostic value of HNRNPC in LUAD.MethodsThe Oncomine database and gene expression profiling interactive analysis (GEPIA) were used for preliminary exploration of HNRNPC expression and prognostic value in LUAD. LUAD cases from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (n = 416) and the Kaplan-Meier plotter database (n = 720) were extracted to study the differential expression and prognostic value of HNRNPC. HNRNPC expression in the National Cancer Center of China (NCC) cohort was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining, and the relationship between HNRNPC expression and survival rate evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify independent prognostic factors. Several pathways that were significantly enriched in the HNRNPC high expression group were identified by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA).ResultsFive data sets from the Oncomine and GEPIA databases all supported that HNRNPC expression is significantly higher in LUAD than in normal lung tissue. In TCGA cohort, HNRNPC was highly expressed in LUAD tissues and significantly related to age, sex, smoking history, ethnicity, lymph node metastasis, and TNM staging (P < 0.001). High HNRNPC expression was significantly correlated with poor prognosis in the three cohorts (NCC, TCGA, and K-M plotter) (P < 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that HNRNPC expression was an independent prognostic factor in both TCGA and NCC cohorts (P < 0.05). Further, 10 significantly enriched pathways were identified from TCGA data and 118 lung cancer cell lines in CCLE, respectively.ConclusionsHigh HNRNPC expression is significantly related to poor overall survival in patients with LUAD, suggesting that HNRNPC may be a cancer-promoting factor and a potential prognostic biomarker in LUAD.
Highlights
Lung cancers are highly malignant tumors, with morbidity and mortality ranking first among cancers
Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C (HNRNPC) expression levels were significantly increased in tumor tissues in 59 datasets, including brain and central nervous system cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, head and neck cancer, kidney cancer, lung cancer, myeloma, and many other cancers (Figure 2A)
In TCGA lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cohort, HNRNPC expression was higher in tumor than normal tissues (Figure 2C)
Summary
Lung cancers are highly malignant tumors, with morbidity and mortality ranking first among cancers. Approximately 1.5 million patients die from lung cancer each year, with a mortality rate of more than 25% [1]. Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) accounts for 35%–40% of total lung cancers, and its incidence is increasing [3]. Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), as the most common histological subtype of lung cancer, is a high-grade malignancy and a leading cause of cancer-related death globally. Identification of biomarkers with prognostic value is of great significance for the diagnosis and treatment of LUAD. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C (HNRNPC) is an RNA-binding protein “reader” of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation, and is related to the progression of various cancers; its role in LUAD is unclear.
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