Pan-Cancer Analysis of Genomic and Prognostic Characteristics Associated With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Regulators

Jian Zhang; Huali Jiang; Kunpeng Du; Tao Xie; Baiyao Wang; Chengcong Chen; Bohong Cen; Yawei Yuan; Jiacai Ye

doi:10.3389/fmed.2021.662460

Pan-Cancer Analysis of Genomic and Prognostic Characteristics Associated With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Regulators

Front Med (Lausanne). 2021 Aug 11:8:662460. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.662460. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Jian Zhang^{1

2}, Huali Jiang³, Kunpeng Du¹, Tao Xie¹, Baiyao Wang¹, Chengcong Chen¹, Bohong Cen¹, Yawei Yuan¹, Jiacai Ye¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital and Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou, China.
² Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
³ Department of Cardiovascularology, Tungwah Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Dongguan, China.

Abstract

Background: Cancer patients are alleged to have poor coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. However, no systematic or comprehensive analyses of the role and mechanisms of COVID-19 receptor-related regulators in cancer are available. Methods: We comprehensively evaluated the genomic alterations and their clinical relevance of six COVID-19 receptor-related regulators [transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), angiotensinogen (AGT), angiotensin-converting enzyme 1 (ACE1), solute carrier family 6 member 19 (SLC6A19), angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), and angiotensin II receptor type 2 (AGTR2)] across a broad spectrum of solid tumors. RNA-seq data, single nucleotide variation data, copy number variation data, methylation data, and miRNA-mRNA interaction network data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) of 33 solid tumors were analyzed. We assessed the sensitivities of drugs targeting COVID-19 receptor-related regulators, using information from the Cancer Therapeutics Response Portal database. Results: We found that there are widespread genetic alterations of COVID-19 regulators and that their expression levels were significantly correlated with the activity of cancer hallmark-related pathways. Moreover, COVID-19 receptor-related regulators may be used as prognostic biomarkers. By mining the genomics of drug sensitivities in cancer databases, we discovered a number of potential drugs that may target COVID-19 receptor-related regulators. Conclusion: This study revealed the genomic alterations and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 receptor-related regulators across 33 cancers, which may clarify the potential mechanism between COVID-19 receptor-related regulators and tumorigenesis and provide a novel approach for cancer treatments.

Keywords: COVID-19 regulators; genetic alterations; methylation; pan-cancer; prognosis.