Pan-Cancer Analysis of Voltage-Dependent Anion Channel (VDAC1) as a Cancer Therapeutic Target or Diagnostic Biomarker

Zhitong Wang1, Yinchu Cheng1, Zaiwei Song1

  • 1Department of Pharmacy, Peking University Third Hospital; Institute for Drug Evaluation, Peking University Health Science Center; Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology Center, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.

Disease Markers
|August 12, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) is upregulated in most cancers and linked to poor patient prognosis. This pan-cancer analysis highlights VDAC1

Area of Science:

  • Mitochondrial biology
  • Cancer genomics
  • Proteomics

Background:

  • Voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) is a mitochondrial outer membrane protein implicated in cancer.
  • Previous studies suggest VDAC1's role in cancer, but a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential roles of VDAC1 in tumorigenesis and cancer progression across multiple cancer types.
  • To evaluate VDAC1 as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC).
  • Analyzed VDAC1 expression, VDAC1 S104 phosphorylation, and correlation with cancer-associated fibroblasts and patient prognosis.

Main Results:

  • VDAC1 expression is increased in most analyzed cancers.
  • Upregulated VDAC1 correlates with poor prognosis in specific cancers like breast, cervical, pancreatic, lung, and melanoma.
  • VDAC1 S104 phosphorylation is elevated in breast, colon, and lung adenocarcinomas.
  • VDAC1 expression is associated with cancer-associated fibroblast infiltration in several tumor types.
  • VDAC1-related oxidative phosphorylation and metabolic regulation may contribute to tumorigenesis.

Conclusions:

  • VDAC1 is a promising prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target in various cancers.
  • This pan-cancer analysis provides a comprehensive overview of VDAC1's multifaceted roles in cancer.