NDC80 kinetochore complex serve as a potential prognostic predictor and correlate with immune infiltrates in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer patients

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: This study focus on evaluating the prognostic value of NDC80 Kinetochore Complex (NDC80 complex) in OC underlying the Gene Expression Omnibus database and the Cancer Genome Atlas database and reveal the relationship between NDC80 complex and immune infiltrates in OC. Methods: We collected data on NDC80 complex expression levels in both OC tissues and normal ovarian tissues from University Of Cingifornia Sisha Cruz Xena and the Gene Expression Omnibus databases. The clinicopathological characteristics correlated with overall survival were analysed using Cox regression and the Kaplan–Meier method. Gene Ontology analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis, Gene set enrichment analysis and cibersort were performed using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas database. Immumohistochemical staining was used to verify higher expression level of NUF2 protein in OC in vitro. Meanwhile, we utilized the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource to analyze the correlation between NDC80 complex and immunocyte infiltration. All methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. Results: The NDC80 complex expression level was prominently higher in OC tissues than in normal ovarian tissues and correlated with advanced histologic grade characteristics. Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis and the Kaplan–Meier survival curve and uncovered a close relationship between high expression of NDC80 complex with poor overall survival in OC patients. The unitivariate Cox regression hazard model proved that age, pathologic stage, tumor status, primary therapy outcome, SPC24 expression level and Karnofsky performance score as prognostic factors for OC patients. NDC80 complex expression levels were highly associated with immune cell infiltration, showing NK CD56bright cells and NK cells with negative correlation and Th2 cells with positive correlation( p<0.05). Conclusion: The findings gave the evidence that increased expression level of NDC80 complex was closely associated with the progression of OC and could also serve as a novel target of immunotherapy in OC.