Oncogene goosecoid is transcriptionally regulated by E2F1 and correlates with disease progression in prostate cancer

Yue Ge; Sheng Ma; Qiang Zhou; Zezhong Xiong; Yanan Wang; Le Li; Zheng Chao; Junbiao Zhang; Tengfei Li; Zixi Wu; Yuan Gao; Guanyu Qu; Zirui Xi; Bo Liu; Xi Wu; Zhihua Wang

doi:10.1097/CM9.0000000000002865

Oncogene goosecoid is transcriptionally regulated by E2F1 and correlates with disease progression in prostate cancer

Chin Med J (Engl). 2023 Nov 24. doi: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000002865. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yue Ge¹, Sheng Ma¹, Qiang Zhou², Zezhong Xiong¹, Yanan Wang¹, Le Li¹, Zheng Chao¹, Junbiao Zhang¹, Tengfei Li¹, Zixi Wu¹, Yuan Gao¹, Guanyu Qu¹, Zirui Xi¹, Bo Liu³, Xi Wu⁴, Zhihua Wang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.
² Department of Urology, Qinghai University Affiliated Hospital, Qinghai University Medical College, Xining, Qinghai 810001, China.
³ Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.
⁴ Department of Urology, First Hospital of Laohekou City, Xiangyang, Hubei 441800, China.

PMID: 37997674
DOI: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000002865

Abstract

Background: Although some well-established oncogenes are involved in cancer initiation and progression such as prostate cancer (PCa), the long tail of cancer genes remains to be defined. Goosecoid (GSC) has been implicated in cancer development. However, the comprehensive biological role of GSC in pan-cancer, specifically in PCa, remains unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of GSC in PCa development.

Methods: We performed a systematic bioinformatics exploration of GSC using datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas, Genotype-Tissue Expression, Gene Expression Omnibus, German Cancer Research Center, and our in-house cohorts. First, we evaluated the expression of GSC and its association with patient prognosis, and identified GSC-relevant genetic alterations in cancers. Further, we focused on the clinical characterization and prognostic analysis of GSC in PCa. To understand the transcriptional regulation of GSC by E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1), we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Functional experiments were conducted to validate the effect of GSC on the tumor cellular phenotype and sensitivity to trametinib.

Results: GSC expression was elevated in various tumors and significantly correlated with patient prognosis. The alterations of GSC contribute to the progression of various tumors especially in PCa. Patients with PCa and high GSC expression exhibited worse progression-free survival and biochemical recurrence outcomes. Further, GSC upregulation in patients with PCa was mostly accompanied with higher Gleason score, advanced tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Mechanistically, the transcription factor, E2F1, stimulates GSC by binding to its promoter region. Detailed experiments further demonstrated that GSC acted as an oncogene and influenced the response of PCa cells to trametinib treatment.

Conclusions: GSC was highly overexpressed and strongly correlated with patient prognosis in PCa. We found that GSC, regulated by E2F1, acted as an oncogene and impeded the therapeutic efficacy of trametinib in PCa.