{"title":"A pan-cancer analysis unveiling the function of NR4A family genes in tumor immune microenvironment, prognosis, and drug response.","authors":"Seong-Woo Park, Mi-Ryung Han","doi":"10.1007/s13258-024-01539-1","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>NR4A family genes play crucial roles in cancers. However, the role of NR4A family genes in cancers remains paradoxical as they promote or suppress tumorigenesis.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We aimed to conduct comprehensive analyses of the association between the expression of NR4A family genes and tumor microenvironment (TME) based on bioinformatics methods.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We collected RNA-seq data from 33 cancer types and 20 normal tissue sites from the TCGA and GTEx databases. Expression patterns of NR4A family genes and their associations with DNA methylation, miRNA, overall survival, drug responses, and tumor microenvironment were investigated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Significant downregulation of all NR4A family genes was observed in 15 cancer types. DNA promoter methylation and expression of NR4A family genes were negatively correlated in five cancers. The expression of 10 miRNAs targeting NR4A family genes was negatively correlated with the expression of NR4A family genes. High expression of all NR4A family genes was associated with poor prognosis in stomach adenocarcinoma and increased expressions of NR4A2 and NR4A3 were associated with poor prognosis in adrenocortical carcinoma. In addition, we found an elevated expression of NR4A2, which enhances the response to various chemotherapeutic drugs, whereas NR4A3 decreases drug sensitivity. Interestingly, in breast cancer, NR4A3 was significantly associated with C2 (IFN-γ dominant), C3 (inflammatory), and C6 (TGF-β dominant) immune subtypes and infiltrated immune cell types, implying both oncogenic and tumor-suppressive functions of NR4A3 in breast cancer.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The NR4A family genes have the potential to serve as a diagnostic, prognostic, and immunological marker of human cancers.</p>","PeriodicalId":1,"journal":{"name":"Accounts of Chemical Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":16.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Accounts of Chemical Research","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13258-024-01539-1","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/7/8 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: NR4A family genes play crucial roles in cancers. However, the role of NR4A family genes in cancers remains paradoxical as they promote or suppress tumorigenesis.
Objective: We aimed to conduct comprehensive analyses of the association between the expression of NR4A family genes and tumor microenvironment (TME) based on bioinformatics methods.
Methods: We collected RNA-seq data from 33 cancer types and 20 normal tissue sites from the TCGA and GTEx databases. Expression patterns of NR4A family genes and their associations with DNA methylation, miRNA, overall survival, drug responses, and tumor microenvironment were investigated.
Results: Significant downregulation of all NR4A family genes was observed in 15 cancer types. DNA promoter methylation and expression of NR4A family genes were negatively correlated in five cancers. The expression of 10 miRNAs targeting NR4A family genes was negatively correlated with the expression of NR4A family genes. High expression of all NR4A family genes was associated with poor prognosis in stomach adenocarcinoma and increased expressions of NR4A2 and NR4A3 were associated with poor prognosis in adrenocortical carcinoma. In addition, we found an elevated expression of NR4A2, which enhances the response to various chemotherapeutic drugs, whereas NR4A3 decreases drug sensitivity. Interestingly, in breast cancer, NR4A3 was significantly associated with C2 (IFN-γ dominant), C3 (inflammatory), and C6 (TGF-β dominant) immune subtypes and infiltrated immune cell types, implying both oncogenic and tumor-suppressive functions of NR4A3 in breast cancer.
Conclusion: The NR4A family genes have the potential to serve as a diagnostic, prognostic, and immunological marker of human cancers.
期刊介绍：
Accounts of Chemical Research presents short, concise and critical articles offering easy-to-read overviews of basic research and applications in all areas of chemistry and biochemistry. These short reviews focus on research from the author’s own laboratory and are designed to teach the reader about a research project. In addition, Accounts of Chemical Research publishes commentaries that give an informed opinion on a current research problem. Special Issues online are devoted to a single topic of unusual activity and significance.
Accounts of Chemical Research replaces the traditional article abstract with an article "Conspectus." These entries synopsize the research affording the reader a closer look at the content and significance of an article. Through this provision of a more detailed description of the article contents, the Conspectus enhances the article's discoverability by search engines and the exposure for the research.
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