Pan-cancer analysis of SLC2A family genes as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets

Yating Liu; Xinyu Li; Jie Yang; Shanshan Chen; Changyu Zhu; Yijun Shi; Shoutao Dang; Weitao Zhang; Wei Li

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29655

Pan-cancer analysis of SLC2A family genes as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets

Heliyon. 2024 Apr 13;10(8):e29655. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29655. eCollection 2024 Apr 30.

Authors

Yating Liu¹, Xinyu Li¹, Jie Yang², Shanshan Chen¹, Changyu Zhu¹, Yijun Shi¹, Shoutao Dang¹, Weitao Zhang¹, Wei Li¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cancer Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
² Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Peking University School of Stomatology, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Background: The major facilitator superfamily glucose transporters (GLUTs), encoded by solute carrier 2A (SLC2A) genes, mediate the transmembrane movement and uptake of glucose. To satisfy the improved energy demands, glycolysis flux is increased in cancers compared with healthy tissues. Multiple diseases, including cancer, have been associated with GLUTs. Nevertheless, not much research has been done on the functions of SLC2As in pan-cancer prognosis or their clinical treatment potential.

Methods: The SLC2A family genes' level of expression and prognostic values were analyzed in relation to pan-cancer. We then examined the association among SLC2As expression and TME, Stemness score, clinical characteristics, immune subtypes, and drug sensitivity. We merged bioinformatics analysis techniques with up-to-date public databases. Additionally, SLC2As from the KOBAS database were subjected to enrichment analysis.

Results: We discovered that SLC2As' gene expression differed significantly between normal tissues and many malignancies. A number of tumors from various databases demonstrate a relationship between prognosis and SLC2A family gene expression. For instance, SLC2A2 and SLC2A5 were associated with the overall survival (OS) of hepatocellular carcinoma. SLC2A1 was associated with the OS of lung adenocarcinoma and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Moreover, the SLC2A family gene expression is significantly correlated with the pan-cancer stromal and immune scores, and the RNA and DNA stemness scores. Furthermore, we found that the majority of SLC2As had a strong correlation with the tumor stages in KIRC. The immunological subtypes and all members of the SLC2A gene family exhibited a substantial correlation. Moreover, pathways containing insulin resistance and adipocytokine signaling pathway may influence the progression of some cancers. Finally, there is a significant positive or negative connection between drug sensitivity and SLC2A1 expression.

Conclusion: Our research highlights the significant promise of SLC2As as prognostic indicators and offers insightful approaches for upcoming exploration of SLC2As as putative therapeutic targets in malignancies.

Keywords: Pan-cancer; Prognosis; SLC2A family genes; Therapeutic targets; Tumor microenvironment.