High expression of KIFC1 is a poor prognostic biomarker and correlates with TP53 mutation in lung cancer

The Kinesin Family Member C1 (KIFC1) is highly expressed in a variety of tumors. Since it is linked with tumorigenesis and progression, KIFC1 has emerged as a promising candidate for targeted chemotherapies. Thus, this study aims to find out the association between KIFC1 and lung cancer. The original data were assessed from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Compared to normal lung tissues, both mRNA and protein levels of KIFC1 were significantly increased in lung cancer tissues. The upregulation of KIFC1 was significantly correlated with sex, pathological stage, and TMN stage. Survival analysis revealed that increased KIFC1 expression was associated with poor overall survival, first-progression survival and post-progression survival in lung cancer. Based on the Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis, we observed that KIFC1 upregulation was linked to enrichment of the cell cycle and TP53 signaling pathway. Additionally, the overexpression of KIFC1 was positively correlated with TP53 mutations in lung cancer. Based on real-world cohort results, western blotting and RT-qPCR showed high-KIFC1 expression in lung cancer, which may be related to the malignancy of lung cancer. Finally, experiments in vitro showed that KIFC1 inhibitor could significantly inhibit the proliferation and invasion of lung cancer cells. In conclusion, KIFC1 is a poor prognostic biomarker, and patients with high-KIFC1 levels may benefit from targeted therapy.