Prognostic value of ubiquitin E2 UBE2W and its correlation with tumor-infiltrating immune cells in breast cancer

Yan Yuan,Rong-Zhen Li,Wei-Hao Xie,Yuan-Hong Gao,Wei-Wei Xiao

doi:10.1186/s12885-021-08234-4

Yan Yuan, Rong-Zhen Li + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-021-08234-4

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Abstract

BackgroundUbiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2W (UBE2W) is a protein-coding gene that has an important role in ubiquitination and may be vital in the repair of DNA damage. However, studies on the prognostic value of UBE2W and its correlation with tumor-infiltrating immune cells in multiple cancers have not been addressed.MethodsWe investigated UBE2W expression in the Oncomine database, the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), TNMplot database. Then, the clinical prognostic value of UBE2W was analyzed via online public databases. Meanwhile, we explored the correlation between UBE2W and DNA repair associate genes expression and DNA methyltransferase expression by TIMER and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA). By using the same method, the correlation between UBE2W and tumor-infiltrating immune cells was explored. Genomic Profiles of UBE2W in breast cancer (BRCA) were accessed in cBioPortal (v3.5.0). Functional proteins associated network was analyzed by STRING database (v11.0).ResultsUBE2W was abnormally expressed and significantly correlated with mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutation levels, DNA methyltransferase, and BRCA1/2 expression in breast cancer. High expression of UBE2W may promote the tumor immunosuppression and metastasis, induce endocrine therapy resistance and deteriorate outcomes of patients with breast cancer. These findings suggest that UBE2W could be a potential biomarker of prognosis and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Besides, RBX1 may be a new E3 that was regulated by UBE2W.ConclusionsUbiquitin E2 UBE2W is a potential prognostic biomarker and is correlated with immune infiltration in BRCA.

Highlights

Cancer is a major public health problem with increasing rapid incidence and mortality in the worldwide [1]
The expression of Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2W (UBE2W) was absolutely higher in breast cancer than normal tissues
The higher mRNA expression level of UBE2W was detected in the cholangiocarcinoma (CHOL), colon adenocarcinoma (COAD), esophageal carcinoma (ESCA), head and neck tumor (HNSC), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), Fig. 1 Expression of UBE2W in various human tumors. a Increased expression of UBE2W in different tumors compared to normal tissues in the Oncomine database. b UBE2W expression of different tumor types from the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was investigated by Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) (*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001). c UBE2W was abnormally expressed in pan cancers by TNMplot

Summary

Introduction

Cancer is a major public health problem with increasing rapid incidence and mortality in the worldwide [1]. Over the last few decades, the various molecular mechanism of carcinogenesis has been identified, including gene mutation and epigenetic modification [2]. The system regulates a variety of cellular activities including cell cycle, apoptosis, transcriptional regulation, DNA repair, and immune response [5, 6]. Recent findings indicate that UPS plays a key role in the carcinogenesis and progression of different types of tumors [7, 8]. Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2W (UBE2W) is a protein-coding gene that has an important role in ubiquitination and may be vital in the repair of DNA damage. Studies on the prognostic value of UBE2W and its correlation with tumor-infiltrating immune cells in multiple cancers have not been addressed

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