Systematic Analysis of FASTK Gene Family Alterations in Cancer

The FASTK family of proteins have been recently reported to play a key role in the post-transcriptional regulation of mitochondrial gene expression, including mRNA stability and translation. Accumulated studies have provided evidence that the expression of some FASTK genes is altered in certain types of cancer, in agreement with the central role of mitochondria in cancer development. Here, we obtained a pan-cancer overview of the genomic and transcriptomic alterations of FASTK genes. FASTK, FASTKD1, FASTKD3 and FASTKD5 showed the highest rates of genetic alterations. FASTK and FASTKD3 alterations consisted mainly of amplifications that were seen in more than 8% of ovarian and lung cancers, respectively. FASTKD1 and FASTKD5 were the most frequently mutated FASTK genes, and the mutations were identified in 5-7% of uterine cancers, as well as in 4% of melanomas. Our results also showed that the mRNA levels of all FASTK members were strongly upregulated in esophageal, stomach, liver and lung cancers. Finally, the protein-protein interaction network for FASTK proteins uncovers the interaction of FASTK, FASTKD2, FASTKD4 and FASTKD5 with cancer signaling pathways. These results serve as a starting point for future research into the potential of the FASTK family members as diagnostic and therapeutic targets for certain types of cancer.