BackgroundRecent studies have reported that Integrin alpha 2 (ITGA2) plays an essential role in tumor cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis. An abnormally expressed ITGA2 correlates with unfavorable prognoses in multiple types of cancer. However, the specific mechanism of how ITGA2 contributes to tumorigenesis remains unclear.MethodsThe GEPIA web tool was used to find the clinical relevance of ITGA2 in cancer, and this significance was verified using Western blotting analysis of paired patient tissues and immunohistochemistry of the pancreatic cancer tissue. Functional assays, such as the MTS assay, colony formation assay, and transwell assay, were used to determine the biological role of ITGA2 in human cancer. The relationship between ITGA2 and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) was examined using Western blot analysis, RT-qPCR assay, and immunohistochemistry. The protein-protein interaction between ITGA2 and STAT3 was detected via co-immunoprecipitation.ResultsOur study showed that ITGA2 was markedly overexpressed in several malignant tumor cells and clinical tissues. Blocking ITGA2 inhibited the proliferation and invasion ability of cancer cells significantly, whereas overexpressed ITGA2 increased the degree of those processes considerably. Additionally, the RNA-seq assay indicated that ITGA2 transcriptionally regulated the expression of PD-L1 in pancreatic cancer. We also demonstrated that ITGA2 interacted with STAT3 and up-regulated the phosphorylation of STAT3; this interaction might involve the mechanism of ITGA2 inducing PD-L1 expression in cancer cells. Our results suggest that ITGA2 plays a critical role in cancer cell progression and the regulation of PD-L1 by activating the STAT3 pathway.ConclusionsWe identified a novel mechanism by which ITGA2 plays a critical role in modulating cancer immune response by transcriptionally increasing the expression of PD-L1 in cancer cells. Thus, targeting ITGA2 is an effective method to enhance the efficacy of checkpoint immunotherapy against cancer.
Objective: The tumour microenvironment is one of the significant factors driving the carcinogenesis of Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). However, the underlying mechanism of how the tumour microenvironment impacts the prognosis of PAAD is not completely clear. Results: The transcriptome and clinical data of 182 PAAD program cases were downloaded from the TCGA database. Three hundred thirty-three differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between high and low stromal groups and 314 DEGs between high and low immune score groups were identified using ESTIMATE score. Based on the 203 genes differentially expressed simultaneously in two score-related comparisons, we established an 8-mRNA signature to evaluate the prognosis of PAAD patients. Kaplan-Meier curves showed significantly worse survival for patients with high-risk scores in both the training and validation groups. The risk score was an independent prognostic factor and had a high predictive value for the prognosis of patients with PAAD. By searching the TCGA database, we showed that CA9, CXCL9, and GIMAP7 from the 8-mRNA signature were associated with the infiltration levels of immunocytes by regulating FOXO1 expression in PAAD. Conclusions: Unlike traditional methods of screening for differential genes in cancer and healthy tissues, we constructed a novel 8-mRNA signature to predict the prognosis of PAAD patients by applying ESTIMATE scoring to RNA-seq-based transcriptome data. Most importantly, we identified CA9, CXCL9, and GIMAP7 from the above eight genes as regulators of immunocyte infiltration by adjusting the expression of FOXO1 in PAAD. Thus, CA9, CXCL9, and GIMAP7 might be the ideal targets of immune therapy of PAAD. Methods: ESTIMATE scoring was used to determine the stromal and immune scores of transcriptome datasets downloaded from the TCGA database. An mRNA-based prognostic signature was built for the training cohort via the LASSO Cox regression model. The signature was verified using a validation cohort. Kaplan-Meier curves
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.