High NUP210 mRNA expression and its role in prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most prevalent type of leukemia in adults, characterized by a complex pathogenesis. The nuclear pore complex is pivotal in the development of various of malignant tumors, including hematological malignancies. While the NUP210 gene is upregulated in several solid tumors, its role in AML remains unreported. RNA-Sequence data and clinical profiles of AML patients were obtained from TCGA databases. Bone marrow samples were obtained from the First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University. GEPIA2, UALCAN and TCGA Portal databases were employed for survival prognosis analysis based on NUP210 expression. The GO/KEGG enrichment analysis of NUP210 co-expression and GSEA were performed using R software package. ENCORI and STRING databases were utilized to validate the association between NUP210 and MEIS1, PBX3 or HOXAs. CCK8, RT-qPCR, and Western blot assays were used to detect the viability and related gene expression in AML cell lines.Our findings revealed that NUP210 was significantly upregulated in AML patients compared to healthy controls. Multivariate analyses identified NUP210 as an independent poor prognostic factor in AML. Increased expression of NUP210 inhibited the viability of AML cells. The HOXA9, MEIS1, and PBX3 genes were notably upregulated in the NUP210 high-expression group. The RT-qPCR and Western blot assays demonstrated that NUP210 downregulation in leukemia cells leads to the inhibition of HOXA9 expression. Positive correlations were observed between NUP210 and MEIS1/PBX3, with MEIS1 and PBX3 proteins interacting with the HOXA9 protein. Our results demonstrated that NUP210 was remarkably upregulated in AML and may promote the malignant behavior of AML cells by upregulate HOXA9 gene expression, offering new insights for AML treatment.