Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition Gene Signature Related to Prognostic in Colon Adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) remains an important cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key mechanism, promoting not only the invasive or metastatic phenotype but also resistance to therapy. Using bioinformatics approaches, we studied the alteration on EMT related genes and its implication on COAD prognostic based on public datasets. For the EMT mechanisms, two overexpressed genes were identified (NOX4 and IGF2BP3), as well as five downregulated genes (BMP5, DACT3, EEF1A2, GCNT2 and SFRP1) that were related to prognosis in COAD. A qRT-PCR validation step was conducted in a COAD patient cohort comprising of 29 tumor tissues and 29 normal adjacent tissues, endorsing the expression level for BMP5, as well as for two of the miRNAs targeting key EMT related genes, revealing upregulation of miR-27a-5p and miR-146a-5p. The EMT signature can be used to develop a panel of biomarkers for recurrence prediction in COAD patients, which may contribute to the improvement of risk stratification for the patients.