Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis Identifies NCAPG2 as an Immune-Related Prognostic Biomarker in Breast Cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Non-SMC condensin II complex subunit G2 (NCAPG2) is implicated in chromosome segregation during mitosis.
• NCAPG2 functions as an oncogene and a potential biomarker across various cancer types.
• This study investigates the specific role of NCAPG2 in the context of breast cancer (BC).

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the expression patterns of NCAPG2 in breast cancer.
• To determine the prognostic significance of NCAPG2 in breast cancer patients.
• To explore the functional pathways and immune associations of NCAPG2 in breast cancer.

Main Methods:

• Utilized public databases (GEPIA, TIMER, HPA, bc-GenExMiner) for mRNA and protein expression analysis.
• Performed survival analyses using Kaplan-Meier plotter and bc-GenExMiner.
• Analyzed transcriptional regulation, genetic alterations, and functional enrichment using COSMIC, CistromeDB, cBioPortal, CancerSEA, and Metascape.

Main Results:

• NCAPG2 expression is significantly elevated in breast cancer compared to normal tissues.
• Overexpressed NCAPG2 correlates with advanced tumor grade, HER2 status, lymph node involvement, TP53/BRCA1/2 mutations, and poorer prognosis.
• Functional enrichment analysis revealed NCAPG2's involvement in cell cycle, proliferation, DNA repair, and immune cell infiltration, including exhausted T cell phenotypes.

Conclusions:

• NCAPG2 mRNA and protein are upregulated in breast cancer, indicating its oncogenic role.
• Elevated NCAPG2 may serve as an adverse prognostic biomarker, particularly in BRCA-related breast cancers.
• NCAPG2 influences key cancer hallmarks: cell cycle, proliferation, and immune response in breast cancer.