Expression, Prognostic Value, and Biological Function of CENPM in Colon Adenocarcinoma

Centromere protein M (CENPM), a member of the CENP family, is correlated with several malignancies, but its role in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is unclear. This study aims to explore the expression, prognostic significance, and biological role of CENPM in COAD.

The association of CENPM with the occurrence and progression of COAD was thoroughly analyzed via several bioinformatics databases. Furthermore, the correlation between CENPM expression and clinicopathological features and prognostic value was validated via immunohistochemistry (IHC) of tissue microarrays (TMAs) from 80 patients.

CENPM mRNA expression was significantly elevated in COAD samples compared with healthy tissues. As COAD progressed, CENPM expression decreased, and patients with lower CENPM transcript levels had a worse prognosis. IHC results further confirmed the overexpression of CENPM in COAD patients, identifying this gene as an independent prognostic factor. Additionally, high CENPM expression was linked to methylation in COAD patients, and the primary function of CENPM and its neighboring genes was determined to be cell cycle regulation. Immunological analysis demonstrated that CENPM expression was positively correlated with activated CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, and dendritic cells (DCs) but negatively correlated with regulatory T cells (Tregs). CENPM expression was positively correlated with that of the immune checkpoint genes LAG3, CD244, LGALS9, PDCD1 (PD1), and PVRL2 but negatively correlated with the expression of BTLA, CSF1R, KDR, IL10RB, PDCD1LG2, and TGFBR1.

CENPM is an independent prognostic factor for COAD, with its overexpression associated with improved survival. It regulates the cell cycle and tumor microenvironment, making it a promising potential predictive biomarker for immune therapy response.