Significant prognostic values of nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial complex I subunits in tumor patients

In cancer biology, it remains still open question concerning the oncogenic versus oncosuppressor behavior of metabolic genes, which includes those encoding mitochondrial complex I (CI) subunits. The prognostic value of nuclear genome mRNAs expression of CI subunits is to be evaluated in the tumor patients. We used the Kaplan Meier plotter database, the cBio Cancer Genomics Portal, and the Oncomine in which gene expression data and survival information were from thousands of tumor patients to assess the relevance of nuclear genome mRNAs level of CI subunits to patients' survival, as well as their alterations in gene and expression level in tumors. We presented that the relative expression level of overwhelming majority of the nuclear genes of CI subunits with survival significance (overall survival, relapse free survival, progression free survival, distant metastasis free survival, post progression survival, and first progression), had consistent effects for patients in each type of four tumors separately, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, and gastric cancer. However, in gene level, frequent cumulative or individual alteration of these genes could not significantly affect patients' survival and the overexpression of the individual gene was not ubiquitous in tumors versus normal tissues. Given that reprogrammed energy metabolism was viewed as an emerging hallmark of tumor, thus tumor patients' survival might potentially to be evaluated by certain threshold for overall expression of CI subunits. Comprehensive understanding of the nuclear genome encoded CI subunits may have guiding significance for the diagnosis and prognosis in tumor patients.