Abstract
Increasing evidence has demonstrated that enhanced PHF20 expression plays a crucial role in cancer development and progression. However, little is known about the prognostic value of PHF20 expression in breast cancer (BRCA). In this study, we attempted to explore the expression pattern of PHF20 and its associations with prognosis and immune status in BRCA. The gene expression data and clinical information of 1109 BRCA samples were downloaded from TCGA database. The expression level of PHF20 protein was determined using UALCAN and HPA database. Kaplan–Meier method and CIBERSORT algorithm were used to analyze the associations of PHF20 expression with overall survival (OS) and immune microenvironment, respectively. Besides, GSEA analysis was conducted to explore potential biological functions and molecular mechanisms of PHF20 in BRCA. Moreover, starBase database was applied to construct a ceRNA nework. PHF20 was highly expressed in BRCA samples both at the transcriptional and protein level, and was strongly correlated with the OS and immune status. Univariable and multivariate Cox regression analyses identified PHF20 as an independent prognostic factor. Additionally, GSEA analysis showed that high PHF20 expression was closely associated with TGF-β signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway, and adherens junction. Furthermore, three ceRNA networks (AC037198.1/hsa-miR-223-3p/PHF20, CBR3-AS1/hsa-miR-223-3p/PHF20, and ZNF561-AS1/hsa-miR-223-3p/PHF20) were identified by starBase analysis. Functional experiments validated that PHF20 knockdown inhibited the cell viability and progression in BRCA cells. PHF20 overexpression was significantly associated with poor prognosis and immune status in BRCA, and could act as a potential novel prognostic biomarker for BRCA.
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Data Availability
All datasets used and analyzed in the current study are available from the public TCGA, UALCAN, and HPA database.
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Funding
This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81872365) and Jiangsu Provincial Key Research Development Program (No. BE2019731).
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ZC wrote the original draft. SZ participated in data analysis. ZZ and JT commented and revised the manuscript the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the submitted version.
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Chen, Z., Zhong, S., Zhang, Z. et al. PHF20 is a Novel Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated with Immune Status in Breast Cancer. Biochem Genet 61, 1369–1386 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10528-022-10321-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10528-022-10321-5