Frontiers in Endocrinology (May 2021)

Analysis of the Prognostic Value and Potential Molecular Mechanisms of TREM-1 Overexpression in Papillary Thyroid Cancer via Bioinformatics Methods

  • Zhenyu Xie,
  • Xin Li,
  • Yuzhen He,
  • Song Wu,
  • Shiyue Wang,
  • Jianjian Sun,
  • Yuchen He,
  • Yu Lun,
  • Shijie Xin,
  • Jian Zhang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2021.646793
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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BackgroundTriggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) has been reported as a biomarker in many cancers. However, the biological function of TREM-1 in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remains unknown.MethodsWe obtained TREM-1 expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Enrichment analysis of coexpressed genes and TREM-1 methylation analysis were performed via LinkedOmics. The correlations between TREM-1 and immune infiltrates were investigated via ESTIMATE, TIMER and TISIDB. We analyzed the association of TREM-1 expression with pan-cancer overall survival via Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA).ResultsTREM-1 has lower methylation levels and higher expression levels in PTC tissues compared to normal tissues. TREM-1 expression is significantly associated with poor prognosis, advanced T classification, advanced N classification, and an increased incidence of BRCA2 and BRAF mutations. Genes coexpressed with TREM-1 primarily participate in immune-related pathways. TREM-1 expression is positively correlated with immune infiltration, tumor progression and poor overall survival across cancers.ConclusionsTREM-1 is a good prognostic and diagnostic biomarker in PTC. TREM-1 may promote thyroid cancer progression through immune-related pathways. Methylation may act as an upstream regulator of TREM-1 expression and biological function. Additionally, TREM-1 has broad prognostic value in a pan-cancer cohort.

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