Transcript levels of spindle and kinetochore-associated complex 1/3 as prognostic biomarkers correlated with immune infiltrates in hepatocellular carcinoma

Scientific Reports

Xiao-Lei Yu¹  Xiao-Bo Zhang²  Jiang-Dong An²  Kun Zhang²  Xiang-Yi Chen²  Yi-Cun Hu²  Rui-Hao Zhang²  De-Chen Yu³  Hai-Yu Zhou³  Xin Li⁴  De-Quan Yu⁵ 

[1] Department of Cardiology, Air Force Medical University Tangdu Hospital, 710000, Xi’an, China;Department of Orthopedics, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, 730000, Lanzhou, China;Department of Orthopedics, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, 730000, Lanzhou, China;Department of Orthopedics, Xigu Branch of the Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, China;Department of Orthopedics, Xigu Branch of the Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, China;Department of Radiotherapy, Air Force Medical University Tangdu Hospital, 710000, Xi’an, China;

DOI  :  10.1038/s41598-021-89628-z

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

The spindle and kinetochore-associated protein complex (Ska) is an essential component in chromosome segregation. It comprises three proteins (Ska1, Ska2, and Ska3) with theorized roles in chromosomal instability and tumor development, and its overexpression has been widely reported in a variety of tumors. However, the prognostic significance and immune infiltration of Ska proteins in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are not completely understood. The bioinformatics tools Oncomine, UALCAN, gene expression profiling interactive analysis 2 (GEPIA2), cBioPortal, GeneMANIA, Metascape, and TIMER were used to analyze differential expression, prognostic value, genetic alteration, and immune cell infiltration of the Ska protein complex in HCC patients. We found that the mRNA expression of the Ska complex was markedly upregulated in HCC. High expression of the Ska complex is closely correlated with tumor stage, patient race, tumor grade, and TP53 mutation status. In addition, high expression of the Ska complex was significantly correlated with poor disease-free survival, while the high expression levels of Ska1 and Ska3 were associated with shorter overall survival. The biological functions of the Ska complex in HCC primarily involve the amplification of signals from kinetochores, the mitotic spindle, and (via a MAD2 invasive signal) unattached kinetochores. Furthermore, the expression of the complex was positively correlated with tumor-infiltrating cells. These results may provide new insights into the development of immunotherapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for HCC.

【 授权许可】

CC BY