Identification of solute-carrier family 27A molecules (SCL27As) as a potential biomarker of ovarian cancer based on bioinformatics and experiments.

BACKGROUND

Ovarian cancer is one of the 3 major gynecological malignancies with high mortality, poor prognosis, and lack of specific diagnostic and prognostic markers. Solute-carrier family 27A molecules (SCL27As) play a crucial role in multiple malignant tumors via the regulation of long-chain fatty acid uptake and subsequent regulation of lipid metabolism. To date, the specific mechanisms and roles of SCL27As in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) have remained unclear.

METHODS

The Oncomine and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) databases and the Kaplan-Meier plotter were used to explore the differential expression and the prognostic value of SCL27As in EOC. The expression of in 20 normal ovarian tissues and 120 ovarian cancer tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay and colony-forming experiments were conducted to evaluate the role of in the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells, so as to verify the clinical application value of in the diagnosis and prognosis of ovarian cancer. We extracted the data of for multiple bioinformatics analysis to identify the potential regulatory mechanism of .

RESULTS

The expression levels of and were significantly decreased in ovarian cancer tissues. Prognostic analysis showed that , , , and expression levels were significantly correlated with overall survival (OS) in EOC patients. Moreover, the expression of the SLC27A6 protein was decreased in EOC tissues, which was related to the prognosis. Additionally, knocking down the expression of could significantly enhance the malignant biological behavior of ovarian cancer cells. The gene may be involved in the proteasome, cell cycle, Hippo signaling pathway, and so on.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed the abnormal expression and prognostic value of in EOC. In addition, it was highlighted that may be a novel biomarker for the diagnosis and prognostication of EOC patients.