Expression and prognostic value of LRFN family genes in prostate cancer by integrated bioinformatics analysis

Abstract

To analysis the expression of Leucine‑rich repeat fibronectin type 3 domain containing family genes(LRFNs) in prostate cancer (PCa) and its relationship with clinical features and prognosis. The PCa gene expression profiles were collected from UCSC Xena, and corresponding clinical information was extracted from the cBioPortal website. R and Cytoscape software and online tools such as HPA, cBioPortal, LinkedOmics, String, Metascape, and TIMER2 were used for bioinformatics analysis. LRFN1/2 were upregulated in various tumor tissues, including PCa, while the expression of LRFN3/4/5 were downregulated. LRFN1/2/4 were associated with disease-free survival (DFS) in PCa. LRFN4 was also associated with Gleason score and TNM staging. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis indicates that the LRFN protein family binds to the Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase/Tryptophan 5-Monooxygenase Activation protein or 14-3-3 protein(YWHA). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis revealed that the LRFNs and its 250 co-expressed genes are involved in protein binding and transmembrane transport, cell cycle regulation, and the PI3K-Akt pathway, etc. Besides, upregulation of the LRFN5 was correlated with the increased infiltration of immune cells such as B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, and the increased expression levels of various immune molecules. LRFNs have an essential role in the development and progression of PCa. LRFN1/2 expression is upregulated in PCa and LRFN3/4/5 expression is downregulated; LRFN1/2/4 may serve as potential prognostic biomarkers in PCa. LRFN3 and LRFN5 may be involved in regulating alterations of the immune microenvironment in PCa tumors.