Analysis of the interlink between glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and lung cancer through multi-omics databases

Affiliations
  • 1Bapubhai Desaibhai Patel Institute of Paramedical Sciences, Charotar University of Science and Technology, CHARUSAT Campus, Changa, Gujarat, India.
  • 2Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 2E1, Canada.
  • 3Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
  • 4Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E1, Canada.

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Abstract

Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a crucial enzyme that executes the pentose phosphate pathway. Due to its critical nodal position in the metabolic network, it is associated with different forms of cancer tumorigeneses and progression. Nonetheless, its functional role and molecular mechanism in lung cancer remain unknown. The present study provides intricate information associated with G6PD and Lung Cancer. Varieties of public datasets were retrieved by us, including UALCAN, TCGA, cBioPortal, and the UCSC Xena browser. The data obtained were used to assess the expression of G6PD, its clinical features, epigenetic regulation, relationship with tumour infiltration, tumour mutation burden, microsatellite instability, tumour microenvironment, immune checkpoint genes, genomic alteration, and patient’s overall survival rate. The present study revealed that the G6PD expression was correlated with the clinical features of lung cancer including disease stage, race, sex, age, smoking habits, and lymph node metastasis. Moreover, the expression profile of G6PD also imparts epigenetic changes by modulating the DNA promoter methylation activity. Methylation of promoters changes the expression of various transcription factors, genes leading to an influence on the immune system. These events linked with G6PD-related mutational gene alterations (FAM3A, LAG3, p53, KRAS). The entire circumstance influences the patient’s overall survival rate and poor prognosis. Functional investigation using STRING, GO, and KEGG found that G6PD primarily engages in hallmark functions (metabolism, immunological responses, proliferation, apoptosis, p53, HIF-1, FOXO, PI3K-AKT signaling). This work provides a wide knowledge of G6PD’s function in lung cancer, as well as a theoretical foundation for possible prognostic therapeutic markers.