BCLAF1 is expressed as an oncogene in Bile Duct Cancer

Abstract

Abstract OBJECTIVE: Validating the role of BCLAF1 in the development of bile duct cancer. METHODS: Differential expression of BCLAF1 in cholangiocarcinoma and normal tissues was analysed bioinformatically and immuno-infiltration analysis was performed by R. We also derived the correlation between the expression of BCLAF1 and HIF-1α by bioinformatics analysis and validated by Western Bloting, qRT- PCR and scratch assay before and after hypoxia. RESULTS: Through bioinformatics analysis, we found that BCLAF1 mRNA was significantly higher in tumour tissues of cholangiocarcinoma. And the high expression of BCLAF1 implied a more advanced stage but a lower mortality rate. KEGG and GO enrichment analysis showed that BCLAF1 overexpression in cholangiocarcinoma was mainly associated with histone modification, peptidyl lysine modification and macromolecular methylation. We used the TIMER algorithm to show that BCLAF1 expression in cholangiocarcinoma is associated with immune cell infiltration, which affects tumour progression and patient prognosis. We confirmed by normoxia and hypoxia qRT-PCR, Western bloting and scratch assays that BCLAF1 and HIF-1α expression are positively correlated and that BCLAF1 may be expressed as an oncogene in cholangiocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that BCLAF1 may act as an oncogene in cholangiocarcinoma and may be involved in immune cell infiltration in cholangiocarcinoma, suppressing the expression of HIF-1α.