Preliminary study on the role of the C5orf46 gene in renal cancer

Transl Oncol. 2022 Jul:21:101442. doi: 10.1016/j.tranon.2022.101442. Epub 2022 Apr 30.

Abstract

Background: C5orf46 has been found to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects via sequencing and microarray technologies, but its effects on cancer are unclear.

Methods: C5orf46 expression in renal cancer patients and cell lines was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). RNA sequencing data and clinicopathological information from renal cancer patients extracted from The Tumor Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed to evaluate the prognostic value of C5orf46. The role of C5orf46 in vitro was verified by migration, proliferation and apoptosis experiments in renal cancer cell lines. Furthermore, the transcriptome of renal cancer cell lines with C5orf46 knocked down was sequenced to analyze potential signaling network pathways. Finally, the possible mechanisms of C5orf46 involvement in renal cancer development were analyzed by evaluating the immune microenvironment, mutation status and methylation levels.

Results: C5orf46 was highly expressed in renal cancer and was an independent prognostic factor. In vitro cell experiments showed that inhibition of C5orf46 expression could reduce renal cancer cell proliferation and migration and increase apoptosis. Transcriptomic sequencing after knockdown of C5orf46 in renal cancer cells revealed that it is involved in the malignant phenotype and immune microenvironment regulation of renal cancer. Finally, public databases suggest that C5orf46-related immune cell infiltration, mutational potential, and low methylation levels may contribute to poor prognosis in renal cancer.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that C5orf46 is associated with renal cancer progression and could be a potential target for improving renal cancer prognosis.

Keywords: Biomarker; C5orf46; Immune cells; Prognostic; Renal cancer.