Differential roles of highly expressed PFKFB4 in colon adenocarcinoma patients

Abstract Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is a common malignant tumor, and the role of the protein PFKFB4 in glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathways is crucial. Researchers investigated the clinical significance of PFKFB4 in COAD by studying its expression in 79 tissue samples using immunohistochemistr...

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Main Authors: Xiaojing Gu, Xingchen Dai, Yongli Huang, Yuhuan Zhang, Lintao Dong, Chanchan Gao, Fang Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2023-09-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43619-4
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author Xiaojing Gu
Xingchen Dai
Yongli Huang
Yuhuan Zhang
Lintao Dong
Chanchan Gao
Fang Wang
author_facet Xiaojing Gu
Xingchen Dai
Yongli Huang
Yuhuan Zhang
Lintao Dong
Chanchan Gao
Fang Wang
author_sort Xiaojing Gu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is a common malignant tumor, and the role of the protein PFKFB4 in glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathways is crucial. Researchers investigated the clinical significance of PFKFB4 in COAD by studying its expression in 79 tissue samples using immunohistochemistry. We found that PFKFB4 expression was significantly higher in COAD patients, particularly in the sigmoid colon. Interestingly, high PFKFB4 expression was associated with both improved overall survival (OS) and post-progression survival (PPS) in COAD patients. Further analysis revealed that genes associated with PFKFB4 were linked to various metabolic pathways, including amino acid biosynthesis, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glucose metabolism, and inflammatory response. PFKFB4 expression also showed correlations with the infiltration of different immune cell types in COAD patients, such as CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs), macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, active mast cells, and resting NK cells. Overall, the relationship between PFKFB4 expression and the prognosis of COAD is complex and diverse, possibly playing different roles at different stages of the disease. Moreover, its mechanism might involve interactions with various metabolic pathways and immune infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. These findings provide valuable insights into the potential role of PFKFB4 as a biomarker or therapeutic target in COAD.
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spelling doaj.art-92279a219df740b7b6e6ce2dded5041d2023-12-31T12:10:58ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-09-0113111110.1038/s41598-023-43619-4Differential roles of highly expressed PFKFB4 in colon adenocarcinoma patientsXiaojing Gu0Xingchen Dai1Yongli Huang2Yuhuan Zhang3Lintao Dong4Chanchan Gao5Fang Wang6Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital, Ningxia Medical UniversityDepartment of Gastroenterology, General Hospital, Ningxia Medical UniversityKey Laboratory of Fertility Preservation and Maintenance of Ministry of Education, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Ningxia Medical UniversityDepartment of Gastroenterology, General Hospital, Ningxia Medical UniversityDepartment of Gastroenterology, General Hospital, Ningxia Medical UniversityDepartment of Oncology, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast UniversityDepartment of Gastroenterology, General Hospital, Ningxia Medical UniversityAbstract Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is a common malignant tumor, and the role of the protein PFKFB4 in glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathways is crucial. Researchers investigated the clinical significance of PFKFB4 in COAD by studying its expression in 79 tissue samples using immunohistochemistry. We found that PFKFB4 expression was significantly higher in COAD patients, particularly in the sigmoid colon. Interestingly, high PFKFB4 expression was associated with both improved overall survival (OS) and post-progression survival (PPS) in COAD patients. Further analysis revealed that genes associated with PFKFB4 were linked to various metabolic pathways, including amino acid biosynthesis, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glucose metabolism, and inflammatory response. PFKFB4 expression also showed correlations with the infiltration of different immune cell types in COAD patients, such as CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs), macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, active mast cells, and resting NK cells. Overall, the relationship between PFKFB4 expression and the prognosis of COAD is complex and diverse, possibly playing different roles at different stages of the disease. Moreover, its mechanism might involve interactions with various metabolic pathways and immune infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. These findings provide valuable insights into the potential role of PFKFB4 as a biomarker or therapeutic target in COAD.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43619-4
spellingShingle Xiaojing Gu
Xingchen Dai
Yongli Huang
Yuhuan Zhang
Lintao Dong
Chanchan Gao
Fang Wang
Differential roles of highly expressed PFKFB4 in colon adenocarcinoma patients
Scientific Reports
title Differential roles of highly expressed PFKFB4 in colon adenocarcinoma patients
title_full Differential roles of highly expressed PFKFB4 in colon adenocarcinoma patients
title_fullStr Differential roles of highly expressed PFKFB4 in colon adenocarcinoma patients
title_full_unstemmed Differential roles of highly expressed PFKFB4 in colon adenocarcinoma patients
title_short Differential roles of highly expressed PFKFB4 in colon adenocarcinoma patients
title_sort differential roles of highly expressed pfkfb4 in colon adenocarcinoma patients
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43619-4
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