Comprehensive pan-cancer analysis: essential role of ABCB family genes in cancer

Hui-Ni Xiao; Zi-Yue Zhao; Jin-Ping Li; Ao-Yu Li

doi:10.21037/tcr-23-2050

Comprehensive pan-cancer analysis: essential role of ABCB family genes in cancer

Transl Cancer Res. 2024 Apr 30;13(4):1642-1664. doi: 10.21037/tcr-23-2050. Epub 2024 Apr 19.

Authors

Hui-Ni Xiao¹, Zi-Yue Zhao^{2

3}, Jin-Ping Li⁴, Ao-Yu Li^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gastroenterology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, China.
² Department of Orthopedics, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
³ Orthopedic Biomedical Materials Engineering Laboratory of Hunan Province, Changsha, China.
⁴ Department of Orthopedics, Changsha Central Hospital, the Affiliated Changsha Central Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Changsha, China.

Abstract

Background: The adenosine triphosphate-binding-cassette (ABC) transporter orchestrates the transmembrane transport of diverse substrates with the aid of ATP as an energy source. ABC transporter constitutes a widespread superfamily of transporters prominently present on the cellular membrane of organisms. Advancements in understanding have unveiled additional roles beyond mere intracellular or extracellular transport functions for the ABC protein family, encompassing involvement in DNA repair, protein translation, and gene expression regulation. Yet its role in tumors is still unknown.

Methods: This study drew support from multiple databases, including Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), European Genome-phenome Archive (EGA), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and employed multidimensional bioinformatics analyses, incorporating online databases and the R-project. Through a comprehensive analysis, we seek to discern transcriptional-level disparities among genes and their consequential impacts on prognosis, tumor microenvironment (TME), stemness score, immune subtypes, clinical characteristics, and drug sensitivity across human cancers.

Results: ABC transporter subfamily B (ABCB) family genes exhibited heightened expression across diverse tumors, demonstrating a significant correlation with overall prognosis in pan-cancer contexts. Notably, gene expression levels manifested substantial associations with TME, stemness score, immune subtypes, clinical characteristics, and drug sensitivity in specific cancers, including kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), and pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). Within this subset, transporter associated with antigen processing 1 (TAP1), TAP2, and ABCB6 emerged as noteworthy oncogenes.

Conclusions: The outcomes of this study contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the implications of ABCB family genes in tumor progression, offering insights into potential therapeutic targets for cancer. Notably, the identification of ABCB6 as a significant oncogene suggests promising avenues for targeted therapies in KIRP, LIHC, and PAAD.

Keywords: ATP-binding-cassette transporter (ABC transporter); drug sensitivity; pan-cancer; prognosis; tumor microenvironment (TME).