Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high mortality rate and is a serious disease burden globally. EPDR1 (ependymin related 1) is a member of piscine brain glycoproteins and is involved in cell adhesion. The gene expression, prognostic, and clinicopathological related data for EPDR1 were obtained from multiple transcriptome databases. Protein level of EPDR1 in HCC was verified using human protein atlas and CPTAC databases. EPDR1 co‐expressed genes were identified using LinkedOmics. Functional analysis of the co‐expressed genes was performed using gene set enrichment analysis, Gene Ontology, and KEGG. Statistical analysis was conducted in R. The relationship between EPDR1 expression and immune cell infiltration was analyzed using TIMER and CIBERSORT. The expression of EPDR1 was found to be significantly higher in HCC than in normal tissues. Further, EPDR1 level was correlated with advanced stage of HCC. EPDR1 was associated with multiple signaling, as well as cancer and apoptotic pathways. Further, EPDR1 expression was significantly correlated with purity and infiltration levels of various immune cells as well as immune signatures. This is the first study to report the role of EPDR1 in HCC. EPDR1 can be used as a novel prognostic biomarker as well as an effective target for diagnosis and treatment in HCC.
Highlights
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high mortality rate and is a serious disease burden globally
The expression of ependymin-related 1 (EPDR1) was shown to be associated with immune cell infiltration as well as the signature molecules that potentially regulate these processes during the carcinogenesis of HCC
With better understanding of its biological function, EPDR1 could become an effective target for HCC diagnosis and treatment in the future
Summary
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high mortality rate and is a serious disease burden globally. The protein EPDR1 (ependymin related 1) is a member of piscine brain glycoproteins and is involved in cell adhesion This is the first study to report the expression of EPDR1 and its prognostic significance, pathological role, and association with cancer immunity in HCC. Owing to the insidious onset, poor tumor biological behavior, and rapid progress of HCC, most patients reach advanced stage of the disease and miss the opportunity for radical treatment. Despite the advances in research related to HCC biomarkers, in recent years, lack of specific markers for tumor sub-types, disease stages, or prognosis remains an important gap in the understanding and treatment of HCC. Identifying specific and sensitive biomarkers related to early diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of HCC is of great significance
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