Abstract
BackgroundTo evaluate the EZR (ezrin) gene expression in breast cancer and correlation with the prognosis through bioinformatics analysis and immunohistochemistry assay.Methods EZR gene expression in breast cancer and corresponding normal breast tissue was compared in the TCGA database. Protein‐protein interaction (PPI) network relevant EZR was established through the STRING database. The correlation between EZR expression and prognosis of breast cancer was analyzed by the log‐rank analysis from the TCGA. Ezrin protein (coded by EZR) expression was also examined by immunohistochemistry assay in 120 breast cancer patients.Results EZR expression level in tumor tissue was significantly upregulated compared to that of normal breast tissue of breast cancer patients (P < 0.05). In the PPI analysis, there were 51 nodes and 455 edges in the network. The top 10 hub genes of the network were identified. High expression of EZR mRNA was correlated with poor overall survival (OS) of the breast cancer patients (HR = 1.40, P = 0.038). However, the disease‐free survival (DFS) of breast cancer patients did not correlate with the EZR mRNA level (HR = 0.86, P = 0.44). The ezrin protein expression was positive with uniform brown‐yellow granules in the cell membrane, cavity surface and cytoplasm of the breast cancer cells. Of the included 120 cancer samples, 98 cases were positive for ezrin expression and 22 were negative. No correlation was found between ezrin expression site and patients’ clinicopathological features.ConclusionEZR is upregulated in breast cancer and can be used as potential biomarker for overall survival.
Highlights
Breast cancer is known as one of the leading causes of malignant carcinoma-related death globally.[1,2] In recent years, the incidence of breast cancer had gradually increased, surpassing cervical cancer and becoming the highest incidence of malignant tumors for women.[3]
We investigated the EZR gene expression in breast cancer, function enrichment and correlation with the prognosis through bioinformatics analysis and immunohistochemistry assay in order to provide a greater understanding of the EZR gene in breast cancer
Recent studies have found that ezrin participates in cells and bases interaction by regulating adhesion molecules and signal transduction pathways which may play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells.[19,20]
Summary
Breast cancer is known as one of the leading causes of malignant carcinoma-related death globally.[1,2] In recent years, the incidence of breast cancer had gradually increased, surpassing cervical cancer and becoming the highest incidence of malignant tumors for women.[3]. To evaluate the EZR (ezrin) gene expression in breast cancer and correlation with the prognosis through bioinformatics analysis and immunohistochemistry assay. Methods: EZR gene expression in breast cancer and corresponding normal breast tissue was compared in the TCGA database. The correlation between EZR expression and prognosis of breast cancer was analyzed by the logrank analysis from the TCGA. Ezrin protein (coded by EZR) expression was examined by immunohistochemistry assay in 120 breast cancer patients. Results: EZR expression level in tumor tissue was significantly upregulated compared to that of normal breast tissue of breast cancer patients (P < 0.05). High expression of EZR mRNA was correlated with poor overall survival (OS) of the breast cancer patients (HR = 1.40, P = 0.038). Conclusion: EZR is upregulated in breast cancer and can be used as potential biomarker for overall survival
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