FBXW7 as a potential prognostic biomarker for ESCC inhibits the progression of ESCC by directly inhibiting the stemness of tumor cells

Abstract

Abstract Background Esophageal cancer is a gastrointestinal tumor with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. FBXW7, is an aboriginal and high frequency mutant gene associated with ESCC. However, the current understanding of its clinical significance and mechanism in ESCC is not comprehensive. Methods Our previous data from WGS / WES and TCGA databases were used to analyze the clinical significance of FBXW7 in ESCC. Gene function and PCR-array were performed to explore the potential mechanism of FBXW7 in ESCC. Results The clinical information analysis revealed that low expression of FBXW7 is associated with poor prognosis in ESCC patients. Especially in those age≤55 years old, without drinking history and T3 stage, low expression of FBXW7was associated with poor prognosis. In addition, we found that overexpression of FBXW7 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis, and promoted cell apoptosis. PCR-array results showed that overexpression of FBXW7 resulted in a variable spectrum of tumor-associated gene expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. Significant changes in gene expression related to angiogenesis, DNA damage repair, and cell senescence were observed. The changes of these pathway genes may be related to the regulation of FBXW7 on the stemness of ESCC tumor cells. Conclusions Our study investigated a novel role and mechanism of FBXW7 in esophageal squamous carcinoma and opened up new ideas for the clinical treatment of esophageal squamous carcinoma.