Low CTDNEP1 Expression Predicts Poor Prognosis and Is Associated With Immune Modulation in Pancreatic Cancer.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Genetics
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy with limited treatment options.
• Identifying novel genes impacting PDAC progression is crucial for developing new therapies.
• CTDNEP1, a phosphatase-encoding gene, is investigated for its role in PDAC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of CTDNEP1 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
• To analyze CTDNEP1 expression patterns and their correlation with patient prognosis and tumor characteristics using multi-omics data.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed CTDNEP1 expression in PDAC using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Pan-Cancer Atlas datasets.
• Performed Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to assess prognosis.
• Conducted Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses.
• Examined the relationship between CTDNEP1 expression and the tumor immune microenvironment.

Main Results:

• CTDNEP1 expression is significantly lower in PDAC tissues, particularly in early stages, and associated with key driver gene mutations (KRAS, CDKN2A, TP53, SMAD4).
• Low CTDNEP1 expression correlates with poorer patient prognosis, especially in stage II PDAC.
• Functional enrichment links low CTDNEP1 to autophagy and inflammation, while high expression is associated with mitochondrial function; CTDNEP1 positively correlates with immune cell infiltration.

Conclusions:

• CTDNEP1 acts as a tumor suppressor in PDAC, impacting tumor progression, immune response, and patient survival.
• CTDNEP1 warrants further investigation for its regulatory mechanisms and potential as a therapeutic target or biomarker in PDAC.