Abnormal Expression of EPB41L1 in Colon Adenocarcinoma and Effect on Prognosis

Abstract Background: Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is the most common pathological type of colorectal cancer (CRC) and further study of the molecular mechanism will help to improve the quality of life of patients with COAD. Erythrocyte membrane protein band 4.1 like 1(EPB41L1), a gene encoding protein 4.1N, has been reported to be closely associated with tumorigenesis and progression. However, the role of EPB41L1 in COAD is largely unknown and remains to be fully studied.Methods: In this study, we analyzed the mRNA expression of EPB41L1 in COAD through the Oncomine and GEO databases. Then, the relative expressions of EPB41L1 across the sub-groups of COAD were performed by the UALCAN data portal. Next, we investigated the prognostic value of EPB41L1 in COAD patients by using the UALCAN and HPA online databases. Further, the mutation of EPB41L1 in COAD was analyzed by c-Bioportal. The co-expression genes of EPB41L1 in COAD were displayed from the LinkedOmics database, and function enrichment analysis was analyzed by DAVID. The co-expression gene network was constructed through the STRING database, and the MCODE plug-in of which was used to build the gene modules, both of them were visualized by Cytoscape software. Finally, the pathway enrichment of the top modular genes in the co-expression gene network was analyzed by DAVID.Results: The results revealed that EPB41L1 is significantly upregulated with the development of COAD, leading to a poor prognosis. There are mutations in the EPB41L1 gene, but it has no significant effect on the prognosis of COAD. Moreover, the genes correlated with EPB41L1 in COAD, identified in the most highly connected sub-network, were enriched in the cell cycle. Conclusions: In summary, the above results suggest that EPB41L1 was significantly upregulated in the COAD tissues and the high expression level of EPB41L1 predicts a poor prognosis of COAD patients. Therefore, we suggest that EPB41L1 can be a potential candidate biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of COAD.