High Expression of EIF4G2 Mediated by the TUG1/Hsa-miR-26a-5p Axis Is Associated with Poor Prognosis and Immune Infiltration of Gastric Cancer

Abstract

Objective. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4 gamma 2 (EIF4G2) is involved in the occurrence and development of various tumors. However, the effect of EIF4G2 in gastric cancer (GC) has not been fully explored. The purpose of this study was to explore the function and mechanism of EIF4G2 in GC. Methods. The Tumor Immune Estimation Resource 2.0 database was used to analyze EIF4G2 expression in various cancers and the relationship between EIF4G2 expression and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis was utilized to assess the EIF4G2 expression level and its effect on survival in GC. UALCAN was conducted to analyze EIF4G2 expression in various subgroups of GC. The Kaplan-Meier plotter was employed for survival analysis. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to evaluate the diagnostic role of EIF4G2 in GC. LinkedOmics was used to identify the co-expressed genes and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. The Tumor-Immune System Interaction database was employed to analyze the correlation between EIF4G2 expression and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. The starBase web platform was used to predict the upstream microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs. Results. EIF4G2 expression was upregulated in GC tissues compared to normal controls. High expression of EIF4G2 indicated poor prognosis in GC. ROC analysis revealed that EIF4G2 had good diagnostic ability to distinguish GC from normal tissues. Immune infiltration analysis indicated that EIF4G2 expression may be involved in the modulation of tumor immune infiltration in GC. Finally, we determined that the Taurine Upregulated 1 (TUG1)/hsa-miR-26a-5p/EIF4G2 axis was the most likely regulatory pathway involved in GC development. Conclusions. EIF4G2 was upregulated in GC and elevated expression of EIF4G2 indicated unfavorable prognosis. Moreover, EIF4G2 expression may be involved in the regulation of tumor immune cell infiltration. The TUG1/hsa-miR-26a-5p axis is a likely upstream regulatory mechanism of EIF4G2 in GC. EIF4G2 may thus serve as a prognosis biomarker and present a new therapeutic target.

Construction and analysis of competitive endogenous RNA networks and prognostic models associated with ovarian cancer based on the exoRBase database

“…Elevated EIF4G2 expression was reported to be associated with an unfavorable prognosis for patients with GC. Moreover, the study suggested that EIF4G2 expression may play a role in regulating tumor immune cell infiltration [ 31 ].…”

Loss of EIF4G2 Mediates Aggressiveness in Distinct Human Endometrial Cancer Subpopulations with Poorer Survival Outcome in Patients

“…In triple negative metastatic breast cancer, EIF4G2 was shown to mediate non-canonical translation of targets involved in cell migration, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion, and its overexpression correlated with and promoted tumor metastasis (22). In the same vein, a correlative study of EIF4G2 in gastric cancer showed that increased EIF4G2 mRNA expression was associated with poor prognosis (23). On the other hand, EIF4G2 expression was reduced in bladder cancer, correlating with tumor de-differentiation and invasiveness (24).…”

Loss of EIF4G2 mediates aggressiveness in distinct human endometrial cancer subpopulations with poor survival outcome in patients

“…In triple negative metastatic breast cancer, EIF4G2 was shown to mediate non-canonical translation of targets involved in cell migration, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion, and its overexpression correlated with and promoted tumor metastasis [ 21 ]. Likewise, a correlative study in gastric cancer showed that increased EIF4G2 mRNA expression was associated with poor prognosis [ 22 ]. On the other hand, EIF4G2 expression was reduced in bladder cancer, correlating with tumor de-differentiation and invasiveness [ 23 ].…”