Function of low ADARB1 expression in lung adenocarcinoma

Adenosine deaminase RNA-specific B1 (ADARB1), an adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA-editing enzyme, has been found to play an essential role in the development of cancer. However, the specific function of ADARB1 in lung cancer, especially in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), is still not fully understood and requires further study. In our study, integrative bioinformatics were used to analyze the detailed function of ADARB1 in LUAD. By conducting bioinformatics analyses of several public databases, such as Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), GE-mini, and Oncomine, we found significantly decreased ADARB1 expression in LUAD cells and tissues. Moreover, RT-PCR and Western blot showed lower ADARB1 expression in H358 and A549 LUAD cells compared to human bronchial epithelial Beas-2B cells. Wound Healing Assay indicated that knockdown ADARB1 could promote LUAD cell metastasis. By using the Kaplan-Meier Plotter tool, we found that downregulation of ADARB1 was related to shorter first progression (FP), overall survival time (OS) and post-progression survival time (PPS). The relevant clinical data acquired from the Wanderer database indicated that the expression and methylation values of ADARB1 were significantly associated with the clinical characteristics of LUAD. Using DNA methylation inhibitor, we found DNMT inhibitor 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine (5-azaD) could promote the expression of ADARB1 and reverse the inhibition effect of ADARB1 in migration. In addition, functional enrichment analysis of ADARB1-associated coexpression genes was further conducted. Our investigation demonstrated that low levels of ADARB1 were specifically found in LUAD, and this gene might be a potential target in the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of LUAD patients.