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GJA1 Expression and Its Prognostic Value in Cervical Cancer
Silu Meng1, Xinran Fan1, Jianwei Zhang1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.
Biomed Research International
|December 10, 2020
Summary
Gap Junction Protein Alpha 1 (GJA1) is significantly lower in cervical cancer (CC) and indicates poor prognosis. High GJA1 expression correlates with advanced tumor features and altered immune cell abundance, suggesting its potential as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target in CC.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Gap Junction Protein Alpha 1 (GJA1) is a member of the gap junction family with known roles in various cancers.
- Understanding GJA1's specific function in cervical cancer (CC) is crucial for identifying new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of GJA1 expression in cervical cancer (CC).
- To evaluate GJA1 as a prognostic biomarker for CC patient survival.
- To explore signaling pathways and immune cell interactions associated with GJA1 expression in CC.
Main Methods:
- Utilized public data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases.
- Analyzed GJA1 expression levels using GEPIA, GEO datasets, and Human Protein Atlas (HPA).
- Assessed correlations with clinicopathological features using chi-squared and logistic regression.
- Determined prognostic value via Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses.
- Identified regulated pathways using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and immune cell changes using ImmuCellAI.
Main Results:
- GJA1 expression was significantly lower in CC tissues compared to normal tissues.
- High GJA1 expression correlated with keratinization, hormone use, tumor size, and FIGO stage.
- Elevated GJA1 expression was an independent predictor of poor overall survival (HR=4.084, p=0.013).
- GSEA revealed enrichment of cancer-related pathways (e.g., p53, Wnt) in high GJA1 groups.
- Immune cell analysis showed increased abundance of CD8 naive T cells, dendritic cells, and neutrophils in high GJA1 groups.
Conclusions:
- GJA1 serves as a potential prognostic marker for poor survival in cervical cancer.
- GJA1 may represent a therapeutic target in CC, potentially through modulation of cancer-related pathways.
- GJA1 influences the tumor microenvironment by affecting immune cell abundance.
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