Abstract
BackgroundThe gasdermin E gene (GSDME, also known as DFNA5) is mutated in familial aging-related hearing loss. Recent studies have also revealed that the expression of DFNA5 is suppressed in many cancer types; however, little is known about the function of DFNA5 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the expression of DFNA5 and explore its prognostic value in HNSCC.ResultWe used a set of bioinformatics tools, including Oncomine, TIMER, TISIDB, cBioPortal, and GEPIA, to analyze the expression of DFNA5 in patients with HNSCC from public databases. Kaplan-Meier plotter was used to evaluate the potential prognostic significance of DFNA5. DFNA5 mRNA levels were significantly higher in HNSCC tissues than in normal tissues, and high DFNA5 expression was correlated with worse survival. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses showed that DFNA5 expression has a strong positive correlation with cell adhesion and the integrin signaling pathway, whereas its expression was negatively correlated with the levels of infiltrating B cells (cor = − 0.223, P = 8.57e-07) and CD8 T cells (cor = − 0.223, P = 2.99e-07).ConclusionThis study demonstrates that DFNA5 expression has prognostic value for HNSCC patients. Moreover, these results suggest that regulation of lymphocyte infiltration is the mechanism underlying the function of DFNA5 in HNSCC.
Highlights
Head and neck cancers include a wide variety of cancers varying in location and histological types
This study demonstrates that DFNA5 expression has prognostic value for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients
These results suggest that regulation of lymphocyte infiltration is the mechanism underlying the function of DFNA5 in HNSCC
Summary
Head and neck cancers include a wide variety of cancers varying in location and histological types. Some chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin [7], L61H10 [8], and lobaplatin [9] were shown to be effective against esophageal cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer, respectively, by inducing a DFNA5-dependent pyroptosis effect. These results have led to a new understanding of cancer chemotherapy, while indicating that DFNA5 is a potential target for cancer treatment. Recent studies have revealed that the expression of DFNA5 is suppressed in many cancer types; little is known about the function of DFNA5 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the expression of DFNA5 and explore its prognostic value in HNSCC
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