Diagnostic significance and carcinogenic mechanism of pan‐cancer gene POU5F1 in liver hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Background The prognostic and clinicopathological significance of POU Class 5 Homeobox 1 (POU5F1) among various cancers are disputable heretofore. The diagnostic value and functional mechanism of POU5F1 in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) have not been studied thoroughly. Methods An integrative strategy of meta‐analysis, bioinformatics, and wet‐lab approach was used to explore the diagnostic and prognostic significance of POU5F1 in various types of tumors, especially in LIHC. Meta‐analysis was utilized to investigate the impact of POU5F1 on prognosis and clinicopathological parameters in various cancers. The expression level and diagnostic value of POU5F1 were assessed by qPCR in plasma collected from LIHC patients and controls. The correlation between POU5F1 and tumor infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in LIHC was evaluated by CIBERSORT. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed based on TCGA. Hub genes and related pathways were identified on the basis of co‐expression genes of POU5F1. Results Elevated POU5F1 was associated with poor OS, DFS, RFS, and DSS in various cancers. POU5F1 was confirmed as an independent risk factor for LIHC and correlated with tumor occurrence, stage, and invasion depth. The combination of POU5F1 and AFP in plasma was with high diagnostic validity (AUC = 0.902, p < .001). Specifically, the level of POU5F1 was correlated with infiltrating levels of B cells, T cells, dendritic cells, and monocytes in LIHC. GSEA indicated that POU5F1 participated in multiple cancer‐related pathways and cell proliferation pathways. Moreover, CBX3, CCHCR1, and NFYC were filtered as the central hub genes of POU5F1. Conclusion Our study identified POU5F1 as a pan‐cancer gene that could not only be a prognostic and diagnostic biomarker in various cancers, especially in LIHC, but functionally carcinogenic in LIHC.

A Five-Gene-Based Prognostic Signature for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

“…These findings may provide a novel direction for seeking a better understanding of risk factors affecting the prognosis of HCC. Published literature has shown that the pathogenic process of genes can be explored by comparing the correlation between the expression of genes and the abundance of different immune cells ( 26 ). High expression of macrophages in the parenchyma can mediate the proliferation, migration, and invasion of tumor cells through a variety of molecular mechanisms, and macrophages infiltration is closely correlated with cancer patient prognosis and therapeutic effects ( 27 , 28 ).…”

Identification of the critical genes and miRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma by integrated bioinformatics analysis

“…POU5F1 functions as a transcription factor that can activate their downstream genes through binding to the octameric sequence motif. Previous studies showed that the POU5F1 is a pan-cancer gene for various cancers and indicated that POU5F1 is functionally carcinogenic in HCC [33]. EGR1 can be rapidly and transiently induced in response to several stimuli, including growth factors, cytokines, and mechanical stresses.…”

QPRT Acts as an Independent Prognostic Factor in Invasive Breast Cancer

“…Cancer is a significant factor affecting the health and longevity of people worldwide, with nearly 20 million new cancer cases and nearly 10 million deaths reported worldwide in 2020 [ 19 ]. Pan-cancer analysis can identify the similarities and differences in the tumour genomes and provide helpful information for cancer diagnosis and treatment [ 20 ]. In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy of QPRT for pan-cancer analysis.…”