Transcription levels and prognostic significance of the NFI family members in human cancers

Abstract

Background The nuclear factor I (NFI) is a family of transcription factors consisting of four distinct but closely related genes, NFIA, NFIB, NFIC and NFIX, which are important in the development of various tissues and organs in mammals. Recent study results have shown that NFI family may play a critical role in the progression of various human tumors and have been identified as key tumor suppressors and oncogenes for many cancers. However, the expression levels and distinctive prognostic values of the NFI family remain poorly explored in most cancers. Materials and Methods In the present study, the differences in mRNA expression of the NFI family in various cancers were investigated using the Oncomine and TCGA databases, and the mRNA expression, genetic alteration and DNA methylation of the NFI family members in various cancers were examined using cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics. In addition, the prognostic significance of the NFI family was assessed in multiple cancers using the Kaplan–Meier plotter (KM plotter) and SurvExpress databases. Results The mRNA expression levels in the NFI family were significantly downregulated in most cancers compared with normal tissues and DNA hypermethylation might downregulate the NFI family expression. Although NFIX expression was not downregulated in kidney, colorectal and prostate cancers. Furthermore, NFIB expression was upregulated in gastric cancer. Further survival analyses based on the KM plotter and SurvExpress databases showed dysregulations of the NFI genes were significantly correlated with survival outcomes in breast, lung, and head and neck cancers. Decreased expression levels of NFIA, NFIB and NFIC were associated with poor overall survival (OS) in head and neck cancer. Low mRNA expression of NFIA and NFIB was significantly associated with OS and first progression in lung adenocarcinoma, but not in lung squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, potential correlations between NFI family members and survival outcomes were also observed in liver, esophageal, kidney and cervical cancer. Conclusion The results from the present study indicated certain members of the NFI family could be promising therapeutic targets and novel prognostic biomarkers for human cancers.

The Intersection between Oral Microbiota, Host Gene Methylation and Patient Outcomes in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…Associations of lower tumor stage and improved cancer-specific survival with enrichment of F. nucleatum in HNSCC cases were also novel observations. The finding of better clinical outcomes associated with elevated levels of F. nucleatum in HNSCC when comparing tumor with adjacent normal tissue is, however, in contrast to poorer survival and worse prognosis of F. nucleatum infection in colorectal cancer (CRC) [ 37 , 38 , 39 ] and esophageal cancer [ 40 ]. Long-term smoking, alcohol consumption, and high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection are established oncogenic drivers in HNSCC [ 41 ].…”

“…Interestingly, an integrative analysis identified that the enrichment of F. nucleatum was associated with host gene promoter methylation, which further implies its pathophysiologic role in regulating transcriptome level involvement in pro-inflammatory and cell proliferation processes [ 9 , 10 ]. The tumor suppressor gene (TSG) latexin ( LXN ) has been downregulated in a number of human cancers, including lymphoma, gastric carcinoma, and thyroid carcinoma [ 37 , 38 , 39 ], and the TCGA HNSCC cohort, in congruence with its promoter hypermethylation in Fusobcaterium -high tumor tissues. LXN has also been shown to be involved in the inflammatory response with inhibition of tumor growth and colony formation [ 40 , 42 ].…”

Nuclear factor IB is downregulated in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC): Unravelling differentially expressed genes in VSCC through gene expression dataset analysis

“…NFIB is a transcription factor which has tumor suppressive, as well as, oncogenic potential ( 23 ). In cervical SCC and head-and-neck SCC (HNSCC), NFIB-expression has been observed to be lower than in normal tissues from the corresponding sites ( 23 ).…”

“…NFIB is a transcription factor which has tumor suppressive, as well as, oncogenic potential ( 23 ). In cervical SCC and head-and-neck SCC (HNSCC), NFIB-expression has been observed to be lower than in normal tissues from the corresponding sites ( 23 ). Furthermore, lower levels of NFIB-expression have been reported to correlate significantly with worse prognosis for both of these malignancies ( 23 ).…”

LINC00319 promotes osteosarcoma progression by regulating the miR‐455‐3p/NFIB axis

“…Nuclear factor IB (NFIB) is a member of the NFI gene family and is an indicator of poor overall survival in head and neck cancer [13] and gastric carcinoma. [14] Moreover, NFIB exerts a crucial effect on metastasis progression in OS.…”