Syntaxin 6: A novel predictive and prognostic biomarker in papillary renal cell carcinoma

Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 28;9(1):3146. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-39305-z.

Abstract

Syntaxin 6 is a SNARE family protein known to play an important role in intracellular trafficking. Here, we examined the tumorogenic role of syntaxin 6 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was queried for clinicopathologic data and syntaxin 6 expression. We found a significant difference in overall survival (OS) between groups, with high syntaxin 6 expression correlating with decreased survival. When stratifying the data based on histological subtype, the papillary RCC subtype exhibited a significant correlation between syntaxin 6 expression and survival. Using ROC curve, we calculated the area under the curve (AUC) to determine the ability of syntaxin 6 to predict 3-year overall survival. The AUC for syntaxin 6 was 0.73, significantly higher compared to 0.52 for T stage. Next, syntaxin 6 expression was evaluated in clear cell (786-O and Caki-1) and papillary (Caki-2 and ACHN) RCC cells. Syntaxin 6 expression was higher in Caki-1 and ACHN RCC cells. Silencing of syntaxin 6 in ACHN cells significantly decreased the cell viability (p < 0.001). Overall, syntaxin 6 could be a prognostic biomarker for patients with papillary RCC and syntaxin 6 inhibitors hold promise as a novel therapy against RCC.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics*
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / epidemiology
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / genetics*
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement / genetics
  • Cell Proliferation / genetics*
  • Cytoplasm / genetics
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / genetics
  • Gene Silencing
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Prognosis
  • Qa-SNARE Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Qa-SNARE Proteins / genetics*

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Qa-SNARE Proteins
  • STX6 protein, human