Alterations in Eukaryotic Elongation Factor complex proteins (EEF1s) in cancer and their implications in epigenetic regulation

This study aims to investigate genetic alterations within EEF1A1, EEF1A2, EEF1B2, EEF1D, EEF1E1 and EEF1G genes and their potential effects on epigenetic regulation mechanisms.Materials and methodsIn this study, we analyzed DNA sequencing and mRNA expression data available on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) across different cancer types to detect genetic alterations in EEF1 genes and investigated their potential impact on selected epigenetic modulators.Key findingsWe found that EEF1 complex proteins were deregulated in several types of cancer. Lower EEF1A1, EEF1B2, EEF1D and EEF1G levels were correlated with poor survival in glioma, while lower EEF1B2, EEF1D and EEF1E1 levels were correlated with better survival in hepatocellular carcinoma. We detected genetic alterations within EEF1 genes in up to 35% of the patients and showed that these alterations resulted in down-regulation of histone modifying enzymes KMT2C, KMT2D, KMT2E, KAT6A and EP300.SignificanceHere in this study, we showed that EEF1 deregulations might result in differential epigenomic landscapes, which affect the overall transcriptional profile, contributing to carcinogenesis. Identification of these molecular distinctions might be useful in developing targeted drug therapies and personalized medicine.
Source: Life Sciences - Category: Biology Source Type: research