Comprehensive Analysis of Expression and Prognostic Value for JMJD5 and PKM2 in Stomach Adenocarcinoma

Abstract Background: Jumonji C-domain-containing (JMJD) family, a group of genes that regulate epigenetics, is involved in tumor development in several types of cancer. JMJD5 is a member of the JMJD family, and its clinical impact on stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) remains unclear. Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) promotes metabolism, tumor proliferation, and metastasis in various cancer types. However, the relationship between JMJD5 and PKM2 in STAD is yet to be established. In this study, we investigated the expressions and relationship of JMJD5 and PKM2 in patients with STAD. Furthermore, we evaluated the clinical significance between their expression and prognosis. In addition, we explored the transcriptional and survival effects of other 7 members of the JMJD family including JMJD1B, JMJD1C, JMJD2D, JMJD4, JARID2, HSPBAP1, TYW5 in patients with STAD.Methods: The expression of JMJD5 and PKM2 in STAD was examined using western blot, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and immunohistochemical staining. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 22.0 statistical software program. The roles of JMJD1B, JMJD1C, JMJD2D, JMJD4, JARID2, HSPBAP1, TYW5 in STAD were examined using UALCAN, GEPIA, Kaplan–Meier Plotter,the Human Protein Atlas, STRING, the cBiopotal, Metascape databases.Results: We discovered that the rates of low expression of JMJD5 and high expression of PKM2 in the tumor cells of STAD were 64.52.% and 62.37%, respectively. Moreover, there was a close connection between the expressions of JMJD5 and PKM2. We uncovered that the low expression of JMJD5 was related to poor differentiation (P = 0.002) and large tumor size (P = 0.044). The survival rate was low in patients with low expression of JMJD5 and high expression of PKM2. In addition, we found that JMJD1B, JMJD1C, JMJD2D, JMJD4, JARID2, HSPBAP1, TYW5 were high in the STAD tissues. Besides, gene expression levels were correlated with tumor stage and grade. Survival analysis demonstrated that high expressions of these genes, except JMJD1B, were associated with low survival rates. Moreover, a high mutation rate of these genes (82.22%) was observed in STAD patients.Conclusions: These findings implied that JMJD1B, JMJD1C, JMJD2D, JMJD4, JMJD5, JARID2, HSPBAP1, TYW5, and PKM2 could serve as potential therapeutic targets in patients with STAD and as novel biomarkers for the disease.