Expression and Prognostic Analysis of Integrins in Gastric Cancer.

backgroundIntegrins are involved in the biological process of a variety of cancers, but their importance in the diagnosis and prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) is still unclear. Therefore, this study aimed at exploring the significance of ITG gene expression in GC to evaluate its diagnosis and prognosis.

methodsGEPIA data were used to evaluate the mRNA expression of ITG genes in GC patients. The prognostic value of these genes was assessed by analyzing their mRNA expression using the Kaplan-Meier curve. The biological function of ITG genes was evaluated by GC tissue sequencing combined with GSEA bioinformatics. Based on the sequencing data, ITGA5 with the largest expression difference was selected for verification, and RT-PCR was used to verify its mRNA expression level in 40 pairs of GC and normal tissues.

resultsITG (A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A11, AE, AL, AM, AV, AX, B1, B2, B4, B5, B6, and B8) was highly expressed in GC tissues, while ITGA8 was low, compared with their expression in normal tissues. RNA-seq data shows that ITG (A2, A5, A11, AV, and B1) expression was associated with poor prognosis and overall survival. In addition, combined with the results of GC tissue mRNA sequencing, it was further found that the differentially expressed genes in the ITGs genes. ITGA5 was highly expressed in GC tissues compared with its expression in normal tissues, as evaluated by qRT-PCR (

conclusionThis study suggested that ITGs were associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of GC and discovered the prognostic value and biological role of ITGA5 in GC. Thus, ITGA5 might be used as a potential diagnostic marker for GC.