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BMC Cancer
Published in: BMC Cancer 1/2023

Open Access 01-12-2023 | Colorectal Cancer | Research

High expression of CDKN2A is associated with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer and may guide PD-1-mediated immunotherapy

Authors: Yuying Dong, Mingming Zheng, Xiaoxuan Wang, Chenyue Yu, Tiantian Qin, Xuning Shen

Published in: BMC Cancer | Issue 1/2023

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Abstract

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Immunotherapy targeting the programmed death protein 1(PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1), is a promising treatment option for many cancers, but has exhibited poor therapeutic efficacy in CRC. This study aimed to identify and validate the prognostic value of immune-related genes and PD-1-associated genes for immunotherapy treatment of CRC.

Methods

An extensive analysis of prognostic immune-related DEGs and PD-1-related genes has highlighted CDKN2A as a vital overlapping gene. To further explore its expression in CRC and its prognostic value, we conducted qRT-PCR, Western blot experiments, and consulted various databases. Subsequently, we conducted gene expression analysis, survival and prognostic analysis, enrichment analysis, immune infiltration assessment, and TIDE analysis to assess the significance of CDKN2A.

Results

In CRC, CDKN2A was highly expressed compared to normal tissue. It was found that CDKN2A expression was related to clinicopathological features such as inflammation and tumor stage. Furthermore, a significant correlation was identified between CDKN2A and immune infiltration, specifically involving CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, and macrophages. The analysis of the GSEA of CRC samples with high CDKN2A expression identified enrichment of genes involved in MYC target-v2 and metabolism pathways. Furthermore, UBE2I, CDK4, CDK6, TP53, and CCND1 were found to be significantly coexpressed with CDKN2A, suggesting a potential role that these gene play in CRC and immunotherapy.

Conclusions

Our study revealed that high CDKN2A expression in CRC is a potentially valuable prognostic biomarker, which may guide PD-1-mediated immunotherapy.
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Metadata
Title
High expression of CDKN2A is associated with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer and may guide PD-1-mediated immunotherapy
Authors
Yuying Dong
Mingming Zheng
Xiaoxuan Wang
Chenyue Yu
Tiantian Qin
Xuning Shen
Publication date
01-12-2023
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Cancer / Issue 1/2023
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2407
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-023-11603-w

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