Prognostic Value of SPOCD1 in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Comprehensive Study Based on Bioinformatics and Validation

Zhizhong Lin; Lin Chen; Tingting Wu; Yiping Zhang; Xinyi Huang; Yuanmei Chen; Junqiang Chen; Yuanji Xu

doi:10.3389/fgene.2022.872026

Prognostic Value of SPOCD1 in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Comprehensive Study Based on Bioinformatics and Validation

Front Genet. 2022 May 11:13:872026. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.872026. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Zhizhong Lin¹, Lin Chen¹, Tingting Wu^{2

3}, Yiping Zhang¹, Xinyi Huang¹, Yuanmei Chen⁴, Junqiang Chen¹, Yuanji Xu¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China.
² The School of Nusing, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
³ Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China.

Abstract

In the study, we aimed to explore and analyze the potential function of SPOC Domain Containing 1 (SPOCD1) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We performed a comprehensive analysis of gene expression of SPOCD1 and its corresponding clinicopathological features in ESCC. In particular, the correlation between SPOCD1 and ESCC was evaluated using a wide range of analysis tools and databases, including TCGA, GTEx, GenePattern, CellMiner, GDSC, and STRING datasets. Different bioinformatics analyses, including differential expression analysis, mutation analysis, drug sensitivity analysis, function analysis, pathway analysis, co-expression network analysis, immune cell infiltration analysis, and survival analysis, were carried out to comprehensively explore the potential molecular mechanisms and functional effects of SPOCD1 on the initiation and progression of ESCC. The expression of SPOCD1 was upregulated in ESCC tissues compared to those in normal tissues. In the high SPOCD1 expression group, we found apparent mutations in TP53, TTN, and MUC16 genes, which were 92, 36, and 18%, respectively. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of SPOCD1 and its co-expressed genes demonstrated that it may serve as an ESCC oncogene by regulating the genes expression in the essential functions and pathways of tumorigenesis, such as glycosaminoglycan binding, Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, and Ras signaling pathway. Besides, the immune cell infiltration results revealed that SPOCD1 expression was positively correlated with Macrophages M0 and Mast cells activated cells, and negatively correlated with plasma cells and T cells follicular helper cell infiltration. Finally, ESCC patients with high expression of SPOCD1 indicated poor overall survival. qRT-PCR demonstrated that the SPOCD1 expression in ESCC tissues was significantly higher than adjacent tissues (p < 0.001). Our study indicated that SPOCD1 was increased in ESCC tissues. The current data support the oncogenic role of SPOCD1 in the occurrence and development of ESCC. Most importantly, SPOCD1 might be an independent prognostic factor for ESCC patients.

Keywords: SPOCD1; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; immune infiltration; novel biomarkers; prognosis.